Legacy of the Cursed Mask: Michiru's Return
by orionpax09
Summary: Three months have passed since Michiru Kururugi has returned from the Feudal Era, when he is reunited with InuYasha and Kagome in the modern world. Does the man they seek hold the key to the Shikon Jewel and the Bone-Eater's Well?
1. A New Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Author's Note: This story is based in part on the events in Playstation 2 game "InuYasha: The Secret of the Cursed Mask". This story takes place after the events of the game, and sees Michiru Kururugi (the male player character from the game) shortly after returning to the modern world, having fallen in love with Sango during the course of his adventures. Now he's adjusting to being back home, dealing with normal life again, including his twin sister Kaname (the female player character from the game), and his newly discovered Shikigami powers.

I decided to avoid writing about the game itself as much as I felt feasible, both to keep this game as spoiler-free as I could, and to avoid any potential legal conflicts. Still, there are sections that relate directly to the game, so for those of you who haven't played "InuYasha: The Secret of the Cursed Mask", this is a warning to you who don't like spoilers.

Just one final word of warning for all of you: I have absolutely no problem with taking the standard rules of fantasy writing and throwing them out the nearest window! And on that note, I hope you enjoy the fruits of my labors!

Chapter 1: A New Beginning

(A/N: This first part is just my way of helping people who haven't played the game or read fanfics based on it get familiarized with this story's background.)

"Shikigami attack!" Michiru Kururugi cried out, feeling the strange power once again rising up inside of him. A power he channeled into a glowing bolt of fire he flying through the night air.

It was late night at the Kururugi Shrine, the place that had been his family's home for as long as anybody could remember, but lately Michiru had been feeling out of place. As he watched the fireball he had conjured up strike one of the soda cans he had been using for target practice, he sighed, feeling bored, out-of-sorts, and too full of energy to simply go to sleep, even though his bedtime had been hours ago.

The thing was, not too long ago, he had been a normal teenager. He had a mother and father, and a twin sister, Kaname. He went to junior high, falling asleep to boring lectures and listening to his friends talk about their girls. Basic, boringly average stuff, but that was the life a fifteen-year-old boy could expect. He certainly looked average enough, with his blue-gray eyes and light brown hair. However, some time ago, his life had been turned completely upside down.

During the Doll Festival at his family's shrine, Michiru had gone to fetch some amulets from the storage house when he had stepped on a pentagram and had wound up being transported back in time to Feudal Era, where he had met the half-demon InuYasha, along with Kagome Higurashi, a girl about his age from the modern era who was the reincarnation of a powerful priestess, Shippo, a mischievous fox-demon who could transform into different things and loved playing tricks on is friends, Miroku, a Buddhist monk with formidable powers and questionable morals, as well as…

Gulping as his heart once again skipped a beat, Michiru thought about the fifth good friend he had made during his journey in the past, the one he couldn't get out of his mind for any length of time. The lovely Sango, a strong woman warrior and a professional Demon Slayer, who fought with the help of Kirara, a two-tailed demon cat. Michiru had gotten close to all of these people, but had grown especially close to Sango, and eventually lost his heart to her.

Just thinking about her made him want to sigh as he looked up at the moon, a sigh of painful longing. Michiru knew that Sango loved another, namely Miroku, for despite his less endearing qualities, such as his tendency to go after any attractive female, the monk had proven himself a good friend. Still, Michiru's heart wasn't moved by such logic.

Of course, even with his friends, Michiru was certain he would have died a quick death back in the Feudal Era without the help of the power that had been sleeping inside of him; the power of the Shikigami, spirit familiars that linked him to the forces of nature. He had learned how to use this power from Grandma Kakuju, a kindly old women who was his ancestor, and had used it to come to terms with Utsugi, the living doll that had desired to become human, and had sought to use Michiru's soul to do so. Even now, with Utsugi's magic gone and back in his own world, Michiru still practiced using the Shikigami, seeking to become stronger and stronger at it. A habit born from having to fight so many demons during his travels, including the most evil demon of them all…

Sighing as his fireballs brought down another of his targets, Michiru was still frustrated, not to mention bored. Beyond bored; he was practically going out of his mind from the tedium. His day-to-day life had never been especially exciting, but after experiencing everything he had, this life was downright stifling! He didn't want to stay in the Feudal Era forever, but to just be able to visit now and again, to see his friends, to see Sango…

Grimacing, Michiru growled as he savagely brought down another can. Unfortunately, the only portal he knew of that could enable him to do so was the Bone-Eater's Well. The magical well existed near Kagome's home, the Higurashi Shrine, and only worked for two people; Kagome and InuYasha. When Michiru had tried using it back in Feudal Japan, he had fallen straight to the bottom, banging up more than his pride. Even worse was that when he had tried getting in touch with Kagome, the only person he had managed to get in touch with was with her grandfather. When he asked about Kagome, the old man had been quick to tell the Shikigami User that she was suffering from some horrible ailment which left her convulsing as if possessed by evil spirits. Which was a fairly typical excuse from him, judging by all the things Kagome had said about her family during Michiru's journey through the past.

Blasting the last of his targets, Michiru frowned unhappily. On the one hand, he supposed he could have told Kagome's grandfather or perhaps her mother about himself, explained his connection to Kagome. Perhaps even tell them that Naraku was dead. But the fact was, he didn't see what good his going there would do right now. Even if he went, he still couldn't get through the Well. Couldn't do anything to make Kagome come back any faster. Couldn't help his friends in any way. And that, more than anything, made Michiru growl in frustration at the fact that he was now out of targets for his ire.

_There's probably a good reason why Kagome and the others aren't back yet, _Michiru found himself thinking for the umpteenth time. Recalling how Utsugi had requested to be buried in the Kururugi cemetery, and a proper burial would take time. Then there was gathering the Jewel Shards that Naraku had had. Not to mention possibly a number of other demons and problems that could explain the delay.

In a moment, Michiru lost himself in thinking of all the perfectly innocent, reasonable explanations as to why Kagome and the others hadn't come back. It kept him from thinking of far more ominous possibilities. Possibilities like Naraku returning again, as he did when he appeared to claim Utsugi's power…

_No. That couldn't have happened. Not again!_ Michiru frowned, doing his best to ram this thought into his mind. _There's got to be another reason. And…and besides, it takes a while to get anywhere in the Feudal Era, since we had to walk pretty much everywhere. So…yeah…_ Frowning intently, the Kururugi boy sighed wearily before starting towards his house, Taking a moment to look over his home, see the dark windows and reassure himself that he hadn't woken anyone up, he did his best to take his frustration and worries and stuff them someplace where they wouldn't loom in his face and deny him sleep, as they had other nights.

_Kagome has my cell phone number. I gave it to her back in the Fuedal Era,_ Michiru reminded himself. Recalling their discussions, their plans to reunite once he returned to the modern world. _I know she'll call me as soon as she gets back. So…I just have to be patient._

Frowning and knowing that patience was something he was slowly but surely running out of, Michiru groaned in frustration and exhaustion as he crept back into his home. Careful not to disturb either his parents or his sister, he snuck into his room and was soon asleep, dreaming dreams of longing.

* * *

Weeks passed, and this steady routine of school and practicing continued, with Michiru doing his best to keep busy. To keep his worries and concerns at bay through sheer effort, along with his mounting impatience. In addition to his physical and magical training, he also studied from the various books on Shikigami and ancient Japan at the library, as well as sneaking into the Kururugi shrine itself. As a result, he found a few books on magic and legends, and even found several scrolls pertaining to the use of Shikigami. All of which Michiru found helpful in cultivating his growing abilities, even allowing him to summon forth a new Shikigami to serve him, as well as mastering new spells for his familiar spirits.

However, no matter how hard he researched or how hard he practiced, the power Michiru desired more than any other remained beyond his grasp; the power to transcend time and return to the Feudal Era.

_I guess I shouldn't be surprised, _Michiru found himself thinking at one point as he sat at the desk in his room, books and notes scattered before him. The sad truth was that even Utsugi, who had been a far more powerful and Shikigami master than Michiru, with knowledge of the powers of nature that was far beyond his own, had lacked the power to bring Michiru back to the Feudal Era unassisted. That was why he had needed to strike a deal with Naraku in the first place. _And if he couldn't do it, then I…_

Shaking his head as this dour thought ran its course, Michiru broke off from his studies and sat back in his chair. _How long has it been, anyway? _he found himself wondering as he let his thoughts drift. _How long has it been since I saw everyone? Since I…?_

As Michiru's train of thought faded, images of his adventure in the Feudal Era began to surface in his mind. His first encounter with InuYasha, the battles he had fought, the moments he had spent with his friends, all of which culminated with those final precious moments before Utsugi's spell unraveled and Sango and everyone else had disappeared before him. A time that seemed further and further away with each passing day.

Frowning at his uncertainty, Michiru looked up to where his calendar hung from the wall, and his mouth popped open in astonishment. For a moment, he was unable to believe what his eyes were telling him, but as he looked at the month and the dates, he was forced to accept the facts. That over three entire months had passed since the Doll Festival of Wishes, the day he had been taken into the past.

"What…?" Michiru gasped, shaking his head before once again looking at the calendar and the incontrovertible evidence it presented. "But…how could that be? I…I thought that…!"

Stunned by the idea that so much time could have passed without his realizing it, Michiru slumped back into his seat, his mind numbed with astonishment. As he slowly recovered, he started reviewing his own activities, trying to reconcile the impossible passage of time with his own experiences.

At first, it was impossible for him to believe. But then, slowly but with growing speed, Michiru recalled just how much he had buried himself in his own efforts. Sometimes working himself to exhaustion as he trained and studied and tried to forget his own fears. Until he realized that, not only could three months have passed so quickly, but exactly how it had happened.

And to make matters even worse, he realized that those months had passed without receiving a single call from Kagome. Not one call.

_So either she completely forgot to call me when she came back,_ Michiru thought with a frown, not believing this for a second. Which left him with only the second possibility. _Or she hasn't come back at all._

For a time, Michiru could sit there at his desk, this thought looming heavily in his mind. Staring emptily at his own research, faced by fears that were returning in full force, the Shikigami sat in thought for a time. Dreadful fates and hideous deaths that were all too likely in the world of the Feudal Era appearing in his mind to befall his friends. Leaving him to stare into their dead, empty eyes in his imagination. Until at last the horrid visions became too much, and he brought his fists down upon his desk in frustration.

_That does it,_ Michiru thought feverishly. Knowing that he would be unable to banish his concerns any longer. _Tomorrow, I'm heading to the Higurashi Shrine. And then…_ He pressed his lips together, uncertainty and helplessness knotting his brows. _And then…I guess I'll see what happens next.

* * *

_

The next day couldn't have come soon enough for Michiru's sake. And the bus he rode to the Higurashi Shrine seemed impossibly slow and ponderous as he watched the scenery pass by. Considering what exactly he would do when he finally arrived.

_I guess the first thing I should do is talk to Kagome's family. Explain who I am and how I met her…all of that, _Michiru decided slowly. _And after that…_

Once again, uncertainty struck. For while he was sure Kagome's family would be as concerned as him, he knew that they really wouldn't be able to help. None of them could traverse the Well. So even if Sango…if his friends were in danger, there was nothing any of them could do to help. But even as this occurred to him, Michiru knew that sitting around and waiting at home wouldn't help, either. And at the very least, he would be able to update the Higurashis as to what had been happening as of late.

Still, it was none too soon that the bus reached his destination, freeing him to fly up the stairs to the Higurashi Shrine. When he reached the top and surveyed his surroundings, he found a place not unlike the Kururugi Shrine. A nice, modern dwelling surrounded by trees and other plant life, as well as a couple sheds. While he couldn't see the shrine itself, he could see Kagome's home. And even see people moving about inside.

_Hmmm…how should I do this…?_ Michiru wondered. While he knew that Kagome's family was aware of her travels and the kind of things she had to deal with, he wasn't too sure how to break the news that he had special powers of his own. Let alone that there was a very real chance that Kagome was in terrible danger somewhere in the past.

Quickly losing himself in this quandary, Michiru slowly looked about the span of the shrine grounds, as if asking them for advice on what to next. Then he caught sight of something that froze him in his musings, and momentarily banished his fears from his mind.

"Huh?" Michiru began, frowning as he looked more closely at what had attracted his attention. A tree that was marked as being sacred to this shrine. His brows furrowed, he started towards the tree, and as he got closer, he soon realized what it was about this tree that had grabbed his attention. Because he had seen before, on the day his adventures in the Feudal Era began

Drawing up to the tree, Michiru reached out and touched a section of bark that was much thinner and smoother than the rest. The section where, according to Kagome, InuYasha had been sealed and bound to the tree by the power of the priestess Kikyo for fifty years. "InuYasha's tree…" the Shikigami User muttered, suddenly far closer to the Feudal Era than he had been in a long time.

As he stood there, studying the ancient tree, Michiru's mind suddenly went into overdrive, his eyes widening in realization. Superimposing the forest that had once stood there over the modern shrine, he looked off in the distance, and was soon following the path that had once been there. Within seconds, he found himself standing before the Higurashi Shrine itself.

"The Bone-Eater's Well," Michiru intoned, reading the sign that stood just in front of the shrine. And with that, all other thoughts flew from his mind as he pushed open the doors and entered the shrine proper. As his eyes adjusted to the relative gloom of the shrine's interior, he looked about, and down below, a mere flight of stairs away, was the Bone-Eater's Well. Looking exactly as it had when he had encountered it in the past.

Cautiously moving down the stairs, Michiru came to stand beside the Well, and looked down into its dark depths. Once upon a time, soon after he had arrived in the Feudal Era, the simple thought of leaping into this dumping ground of demonic corpses was enough to frighten him. However, time and experience had strengthened him, and he was far bolder than he had been in the past. And the fears and concerns that had been unleashed in his mind had brought him to the end of his rope.

On the one hand, Michiru had no idea why he was even going to attempt this. He already knew that the Well wouldn't work for him, and he might well injure himself in the process. Time like this would be better spent talking to the Higurashis. But on the other hand, he knew that talking to them would do nothing to help either them, himself, or his friends in the past.

_Besides…now that I'm not caught up in Utsugi's spell anymore…maybe…_ Michiru thought, desperation quickly spin doctoring his situation. Eliminating the last bit of resistance, and causing him to jump into the dark depths of the well.

Unfortunately, there was no way to spin doctor the eventual results. As had happened in the Feudal Era, Michiru fell to the bottom of the well. Once again its magic refused to carry him through time. Leaving the Shikigami User to stand in the darkness, his frustration taken to new heights. Tears of anger and sorrow forming in his eyes, Michiru howled as he exploded with fury. Shouting unintelligibly, he brought both fists against the walls of the well, pounding against stone. He kept doing so until his anger was expended and his hands red and sore, leaving him empty and in pain.

Heaving in breath after tired breath, Michiru stood hunched against the stone wall for a time. Eventually, he recovered enough to be able to consider getting himself out of the stupid, lousy, no-good piece of junk of a well that refused to do a single thing to help him. But before he could put this thought into action, his bitterness was suddenly blasted apart when a strange light appeared around him.

"What?" Michiru gasped, looking about in astonishment at the beautiful light that surrounded him. For a moment, he exalted, thinking for a moment that the magic had worked after all. Only to sigh when he saw another form materialize into existence before him. The true reason for the Well's sudden activity.

"K…Kagome?" Michiru got out as she resolved into being in front of him. Caught between disappointment and delight, he stepped up to the girl even as she completed her transition to the modern world. "Kagome! You're back!"

"Wha -?" Kagome yelped in surprise, jumping back in surprise. Her long, dark hair flaring up, the reborn priestess stared in astonishment at the Kururugi boy for a time before her mouth popped open. "Michiru?" she got out before taking a step forward. "Wh-wh…what are you doing _here?_"

Of all the things he might have expected Kagome to say, this hadn't even come close to being one of them. "Wh-what am _I _doing here?" Michiru repeated incredulously. "Kagome, what are you talking about? You took so long getting back, I was _sure _something had gone wrong! I was worried sick about all of you!" Lowering his gaze as this explosion sapped more of his emotional strength. "Kagome, I…I'm sorry, but…"

"No, it's okay. I understand that you were worried, but…" Trailing off, Kagome heaved a weary breath before smiling. "I'm just glad that you made it back here okay. When you just disappeared like that…"

"Oh," Michiru returned. The only thing he could think of saying to this. "Well, I…I'm sorry, but…"

"No, don't worry about it. Really," Kagome smiled easily. "Still, I'm glad to see you got home." Cocking her head to the side, the raven-haired girl considered Michiru for a time. "Tell you what. Why don't I go back and let the others know you're okay?" Frowning as he looked up at her, the Shikigami User watched as Kagome's smile became a bit mischievous. "After all, I'm sure Sango would feel a lot better.

"Huh?" Michiru gaped, trying to ignore the way his heart had tried to jump up his throat at that name.

"Yeah. And so would InuYasha. He was pretty worried himself," Kagome informed him before her expression soured somewhat. "Not that he'd ever admit it, that is!"

For a moment, Michiru stood there, considering this idea. "Well…okay, Kagome," he finally murmured. "I…just be sure to…come back soon." Forcing a slight smile on his face, he added, "I'd…like to hear about everything that's been happening since I…last saw everyone."

"Sure thing!" Kagome grinned. "I'll be back in a minute or two, so just wait outside the Well, okay?" Michiru gave a slight nod to this, at which the Well lit up once more, and Kagome disappeared into its magical light.

As for Michiru, he looked at the rope ladder that led up and out of the Bone-Eater's Well, and sighed tiredly. For as much as he was grateful that his friends were apparently alright, despite the immense delay in their arrival, the way Kagome could traverse between times so effortlessly merely reinforced the fact that Michiru, for all of his Shikigami magic, lacked that power. Cursing the Well once again, Michiru began to climb out of it, feeling about as low and weary as a person could as he finally got out of the magical passage through time.

A couple of minutes after Michiru had climbed out of the Well, another burst of light appeared from down below. Looking down into the Well, the Kururugi boy was almost bowled over when something shot out of the darkness, the air rushing by as the figure landed right next to him.

"Hey, there, Michiru! So you managed to get back in one piece!" InuYasha grinned as Kagome climbed off of his back. Barefoot as always and dressed in a bright red kimono that was said to be woven from fur of the fire-rat, the half-demon could pass for a regular guy from school if not for his fangs, claws,, yellow, slitted eyes, and doggy ears that peeked out from his long, silvery hair.

"It's good to see you, too, InuYasha," Michiru smiled, his concerns momentarily forgotten as he extended one of his hands. He and InuYasha had gotten to be very good friends during their travels. The half-demon remained pretty gruff, but Michiru had learned to read between the lines and saw that he had earned InuYasha's respect and friendship.

"So what've you been doing these past few days, huh?" InuYasha asked carelessly, taking Michiru's hand in his own. "I'll bet you lost no time slacking off since you left!"

Furrowing his brows, Michiru stared blankly at his friend. "The…past few _days_?" he repeated, immediately confused. "What are you talking about?"

"What do you mean, what am I talking about?" InuYasha growled as Kagome looked on. "You know, when you got back here a couple days ago! When Utsugi's spell wore off!"

Sounds of confusion escaping his lips, Michiru shook his head before once again focusing on his friends. "InuYasha, what are you talking about?" he demanded, suddenly irritated. "I got back home over _three months ago!_"

Now it was InuYasha's and Kagome's faces that fell in shock. _"What?" _the half-demon barked as the reborn priestess looked at Michiru in astonishment. "What do you mean, _three months_? We saw you just a couple days ago!"

"That's right!" Kagome concurred, her expression matching InuYasha's in terms of sheer confusion. "It's only been a few days since Utsugi died. We only just got back from burying him in the Kururugi cemetery."

Finding himself floundering amongst these contradictions, Michiru gave a fierce shake of his head. "Look, I'm telling you, I got home over three months ago!" he insisted, looking from one of them to the other. "I was sent back to the exact time I'd been sucked into the Feudal Era!" Watching as their faces grew even more perplexed by the moment, he held up his hands helplessly. "I mean…maybe a minute or so had passed since I'd left home, and that was it! And it's been _months_ since then!"

"Are you serious?" InuYasha growled irritably. As Michiru nodded, the half-demon bared his fangs as he wanted to take his bewilderment and physically beat it into submission. "But how is that even possible! I'm telling you that -!"

"Wait, wait! I think I get it now!" Kagome broke in. As the two boys broke off and looked directly at her. "Michiru, you said that you came home over three months ago, right?" Michiru nodded to this. "And InuYasha? How long was Michiru with us?" The half-demon cocked his head to the side as he looked at her querulously. "Think, InuYasha! We spent precisely how long together?"

"Well…I don't know," InuYasha eventually growled. "Maybe…" Then all befuddlement fled his eyes as he caught on to what Kagome was saying. "Over three months."

"Right," Kagome nodded, looking rather pleased with herself.

This was a feeling that Michiru didn't share. Looking between his two friends, he finally looked hard at Kagome and asked, "So…would you mind telling me what you're talking about, Kagome?"

"Oh, right," Kagome returned patiently. "I think the problem here is that Utsugi's magic must've worked differently than the Bone-Eater's Well's does."

"Uh…" Michiru started, looking perplexedly at the girl. He knew he was missing something of importance, but for the life of him, he couldn't imagine what that might be. "So…how exactly _does_ the Bone-Eater's Well work?"

"It's simple. When you go through the Well, whatever time you spend in the Feudal Era, the same amount passes here, in the present," Kagome told him. "Now, Utsugi pulled you back into the past with his magic, right? And when the spell broke, you went right back to the moment you left." As Michiru nodded, the raven-haired girl went on. "Well, if you go through the Well and spend three days in the Feudal Era, those same three days will have past in the present."

As Michiru considered these words, he soon found himself nodding. "Then…that's why it's been so much longer for me…then it has been for you?"

"Yeah. I guess so," InuYasha muttered gingerly. Then he looked at his friend, and something like sympathy appeared in his eyes. "So…it's really been months since you've seen us?"

"Uh…yeah," Michiru returned somberly. "I…I was so worried about all of you. I…" Balling his hands up into fists, he looked at his friends helplessly. "I…I tried calling you several times. And when you never came back, I…I thought for sure that Naraku had come back or something! I…I didn't know what to do!"

"I'm sorry. I…I didn't know," Kagome murmured. "I guess I can't blame you for being worried after something like that."

"Yeah, well, you can stop worrying! We're all alright, so there's nothing to worry about!" InuYasha declared, folding his hands before his chest. "And don't you worry about Naraku! There's nothing left of that damned bastard but a bunch of bad memories!"

Heartened by this, that all of his fears were completely unfounded, Michiru smiled at his friends. "Then…Sango and the others…they're all okay?"

"That's right," Kagome informed him. "Come on. Since you're here, why don't you stop in and meet my family?"

"Huh?" Michiru fumbled, left spinning by the sudden change in topic.

"Well, why not? You can tell us about everything that's been happening since you got back home. And I'm sure everybody would like to meet you," Kagome informed him. Then she cocked her head at the half-demon, and added, "Besides, Sota's been bugging me to get InuYasha to stop by. So what do you say?"

"Umm…well…" Michiru hesitated before shrugging. "Uh, sure. Why not?"

"Great! Sounds good!" InuYasha grinned before clapping Michiru on the shoulder. "Besides, now that we've killed Naraku, it's not like we really have to hurry back."

"Right!" Kagome grinned now that the discussion was settled. "So come on! Let's get going! I can't wait to have a nice meal and real _hot _bath!"

Almost laughing at Kagome's enthusiasm for the simple luxuries of the modern world, Michiru smiled, memories of his adventure with his friends close to the surface. These, plus the thoughts of spending time with two of his friends, caused him to forget his woes and follow them out of the Shrine and into Kagome's home.

* * *

After watching a gleeful reunion between Kagome and her family, Michiru was soon introduced to the Higurashis as Kagome's mother hustled them into the dining room. There he spent a fair amount of the afternoon enjoying a late lunch as he and his friends told them of journey he gone with them in the past, which was an unusual event worthy of Michiru's time in the Feudal Era. Despite the legendary hatred between cats and dogs, InuYasha spent a fair amount of time playing with Buyo, Kagome's cat, while Michiru wound up telling the Higurashis about the adventure he had been on with InuYasha and the others and showing off a few of his Shikigami tricks to Sota, Kagome's little brother. Kagome's mom, a gentle women who looked like an older version of her daughter, whipped up a delightful lunch and Kagome's grandfather told Michiru about several of the legends passed down through the Higurashi shrine, especially in regards to the Bone Eater's Well.

"…So in a nutshell, the sacred tree of our family shrine is one of the legendary Trees of Ages, a majestic tree whose power traverses time itsel!" the old priest stated as he wound done a long-winded dissertation on the subject. "And it's the power of that tree that governs the Bone-Eater's Well!"

"So that's why the Well has the power to send Kagome and InuYasha back and forth through time?" Michiru asked, trying to get a feel for what the old man was saying. "But why just them and nobody else?"

"That's a good question, my boy!" the old priest commented, looking like he belonged in the Feudal Era, what with his gray topknot and old-fashioned personality. "Perhaps it is their destiny, a destiny that was set when InuYasha was bound to that tree by Kikyo, five hundred years ago."

"But what about me?" Michiru persisted, still feeling a hint of the frustration he had felt at his failure to travel through the well. "Isn't it my destiny to be able to help my friends, to be with them?"

"Don't you mean to be with Sango?" InuYasha teased as he played with Buyo's tail. As for Michiru, a strange sound escaped his throat as his heart jumped and his face turned red.

"Sango?" Sota asked, the little boy sitting near InuYasha. "You mean that Demon Slayer you told us about?"

"Oh, yeah," InuYasha grinned in confirmation. "It seems that Michiru here has totally fallen for her!"

With that, Michiru felt as if his head would overheat and explode from all of the blood that was currently rushing to it. His cheeks burning a brilliant vermillion, he gulped loudly in protest. "InuYasha!"

"What? It's not like it's any big secret!" InuYasha countered, looking a bit surprised at Michiru's attitude.

Frowning, Michiru settled down, silently admitting that his friend had a point. Remembering how he had declared his love for the Demon Slayer mere moments before Utsugi's magic faded completely and he had been returned home. A moment that was so clear in his mind, with nothing more vivid than the look in Sango's eyes when she realized they were about to separated by five hundred years of time.

But that didn't make it any easier for Michiru to handle when Grandpa laughed, "Ha ha ha! Love can be such a bittersweet thing!"

"Oh, come on, Grandpa! It's not funny!" Kagome protested.

While Michiru's cheeks burned, Grandpa eventually calmed down. "Anyway, my boy, destiny is a very funny thing. Still, while five hundred years may be quite a long time by human standards, this does not stop Kagome and InuYasha from being together. Therefore it is possible that a thread of fate binds you to your love. However, in matters of the heart, only time can tell."

Recovering from his embarrassment, Michiru protested, "But what good does that do if I can't even get back to her?"

"Now, now, you can't rely on fate to do everything for you," Kagome's mom admonished as she entered the room, bringing lunch with her. "You're strong young man; certainly you can do things on your own power to make your dreams reality."

"But I don't know what I can do," Michiru said, a sentence that depressed him even further.

"If you truly are destined to return there, I'm certain you'll find a way. Just do whatever you feel you have to." With that the others present, including InuYasha, gave Michiru smiles of encouragement, and he started to feel a little better.

"But, Kagome!" Sota piped up. "Didn't you say that Sango was already in love with that weird monk?"

Hissing in dismay, Michiru looked balefully at the little boy. While he hadn't known Sota for very long, the fact that Kagome's brother had brought up such a tender subject at this very moment was leading towards the Shikigami User being sorely tempted to use him for target practice.

Before he could do anything more than imagine blasting Sota with a few fireballs, Michiru heard Mrs. Higurashi say, "Now, now, enough of that." Turning to see Kagome's mother giving Sota a gently scolding look, Michiru then found himself meeting her gaze as well. "That's none of our business, Sota. Now settle down and eat before your food gets cold."

Grateful for the change in subject, Michiru returned his attention to his meal. For a time, they all ate in relative peace, with the only disruption being Kagome admonishing InuYasha for his messy eating habits.

Once they were more-or-less done with their respective meals, the old priest wiped his mouth and looked very seriously at Kagome and InuYasha. "Well, now that you two have had a chance to relax and what-not, there's something very important I'd like to tell you, Kagome."

"Really?" Kagome asked, giving her grandfather a look. "What is it?"

"It seems that Kyle Wyvern is going to be here in Tokyo tomorrow," Grandpa told her. "He's going to be autographing books tomorrow at the civic center, as a promotion for his latest book."

"Really? That's great, Grandpa!" Kagome smiled. "I guess I don't need to ask where you'll be tomorrow!"

"Um, who's Kyle Wyvern?" Michiru asked, once again feeling like he was out of the loop.

Grandpa's eyes shot wide open in disbelief. "Why, he's only one of the foremost writers of books concerning ancient magic and legends! I buy all of his books!" Grandpa explained. "He's traveled around the world, researching and writing about various cultures, ancient legends and magic."

"Traveled the world?" InuYasha asked around a mouthful of rice. "What is he, some kind of priest?"

"Not exactly. He's from America, and he's something of a collector of ancient artifacts. That sort of thing," Kagome explained. As Michiru and InuYasha looked at her, she just smiled. "I read his biography on the dust jacket of one of his books." The blank expression on InuYasha's face told them all that he hadn't the faintest idea as to what they were talking about, so she cleared her throat and tried again. "I guess you could say he's kind of like a really wealthy lord, and he spends a lot of time traveling and studying ancient cultures."

InuYasha just looked even more confused. "Well, okay, fine, but what does that have to do with us?"

Smiling in what Michiru supposed was a cunning manner, Grandpa told them, "Because, I'd like for the two of you to come with me."

Grimacing around another mouthful, InuYasha swallowed loudly, apparently getting something lodged in his windpipe in the process. "Wh-what?" InuYasha coughed. Pounding on his chest with his free hand, he glared dangerously at the old priest. "Look, stopping for lunch here if fine, but we don't have time to just stick around, seeing some weird lord! We have to get back and find the rest of the Sacred Jewel Shards!"

Frowning at InuYasha, Kagome then smiled apologetically at her grandfather. "Sorry, but I think InuYasha is right," she explained. "I wasn't able to sense any of Naraku's Shards of the Shikon Jewel after we killed him." While Michiru was wincing at the mention of the Shards, thinking of the dangerous powers they could give to demons and other monsters, Kagome was holding up her hands helplessly. "In fact, the only one he had with him was the one he used to possess Utsugi's body, and we know he had a lot more than just that one."

"That's precisely why I think you two should come with me," Grandpa explained, drawing even bigger stares. The old priest then drew a sheet of paper out of his kimono and handed it to Kagome. "Here. Read this and see what you think."

"Hmm? What's this?" Kagome muttered. Narrowing her eyes, she looked closely at the paper. Craning his neck, Michiru saw that it was a flyer regarding Wyvern's visit to Japan. "Discover the secrets of Japan's past in Kyle Wyvern's latest book, 'Demons, Priests, and Magic Transcending Time'. Read about the origins of many legends, including…" Kagome then stopped, her eyes widening in astonishment as she cupped her mouth.

"What?" Michiru asked, looking from his friend to the flyer. "What is it, Kagome?"

Shaken, Kagome gave a stunned look to Michiru and InuYasha before continuing. "…Including the fabled Sacred Jewel of Four Souls!"

"_What?"_ InuYasha howled, shoving his way closer to read over Kagome's shoulder. "This guy knows about the Sacred Jewel?"

"Seriously?" Michiru gaped.

Kagome just nodded in disbelief. "Yes, and it says here that Wyvern is going to have many artifacts on display there relating to the things in his book! _Including a Sacred Jewel Shard!_"

InuYasha couldn't even speak after that. He could only stare wide-eyed at the paper, looking very much like a cement block had been dropped on his head. As for Michiru, he became even more confused. "Wait a minute! You mean its possible one of the Sacred Jewel Shards survived into this time?"

"It wouldn't be the first time," Kagome informed him, something that made Michiru bug out even more.

"Now you see why I want you two to come with me. We're really very lucky that you both came back when you did," Grandpa told them. "We have to find out if this really is a Sacred Jewel Shard, or just a fake." Wearing a smug grin, the old priest went on. "Also, it seems to me that there's an excellent chance that we might learn something about the Sacred Jewel, either at the signing or from Wyvern's book."

"Hey! Do you think that Wyvern really has a Sacred Jewel Shard there?" Sota wondered.

"I dunno, kid, but I'm definitely gonna find out!" InuYasha grinned enthusiastically. Then he cast a wry look at Michiru. "So what about you, Michiru? Feel like tagging along? Or you would you rather just sit around, feeling sorry for yourself?"

While Kagome was staring daggers at the half-demon, Michiru was smiling at his friend. "Hey, you just try and keep me away! I'll meet you all here tomorrow morning!" he grinned, thrilling to the idea of some kind of adventure. "Say, if you want, InuYasha, I could bring you some of my clothes."

"Huh? What for?" InuYasha wondered.

"What for?" Kagome asked incredulously. "In case you haven't noticed, you stick out like a sore thumb in that gaudy red outfit of yours!" With a sigh of resignation, Michiru sat there helplessly and watched as she and InuYasha suddenly lit into an argument, one that continued until Kagome used the power of the Beads of Subjugation about InuYasha's neck to smash him into the ground.

Still, even as Mrs. Higurashi attempted to restore order, Michiru couldn't help but feel better. His friends were all well, and he had had a nice day with two of them. They were going somewhere together tomorrow, which was a lot better than spending all day worrying and feeling sorry for himself.

* * *

Author's Note: This work of fanfiction is a story I've been toying with in my mind ever InuYasha: Secret of the Cursed Mask came out. Please, read and review. Criticism is welcome, as long as it is constructive criticism. Telling me I suck is _not_ constructive! If you must tell me I suck, at least me why I suck, so I can try to correct my sucky status!


	2. Ryokage Awakens

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Chapter 2: Ryokage Awakens

"Michiru, would you please not eat so fast?"

"Hmm?" Michiru got out, turning from his breakfast to look at the person speaking to him. "Uh…Mom?"

"You heard me," the Kururugi matriarch told him, her voice scolding-yet-gentle. "You shouldn't wolf down your food like that."

"No kidding, bro!" came a voice from his side. Turning to face the speaker, Michiru looked at a girl who was very nearly a mirror image of himself. "The rate you're going, you're probably going to wind up eating the rice bowl as well!"

"That wouldn't surprise me," commented their father. Mr. Kururugi very much looked like an older version of Michiru himself, except for a beard and features that were much sterner than his son's. Something he reminded Michiru of when he set aside his newspaper long enough to give him a questioning glare. "What are you eating so fast for, anyway? It's not like you have school today!"

"Uh, right! I mean…well, that is…!" Michiru struggled nervously. When a couple grains of rice escaped his overloaded mouth, he winced and decided that swallowing before speaking might be a good idea. Pausing just long enough to chew through the mouthful of rice, the Kururugi boy gulped it down before trying again. "Sorry. It's just…I arranged to meet with some friends of mine today, and I don't want to be late."

"Oh, really?" Mrs. Kururugi returned, looking at Michiru with a raised eyebrow. Unlike their father, she was a gentle woman with long ebon hair that was done up in a ponytail, and a gentle disposition that softened even her angriest expressions. "Well, this is sudden. When did you do that?"

"While I was out yesterday," Michiru explained quickly, torn between returning to his breakfast and completing his explanation. "Sorry. I guess I forgot to mention it, but…"

"Ah, I see," Mr. Kururugi told him. Before Michiru could say anything further, he smiled and waved aside his son's concerns. "It's no problem. I remember doing the same kind of thing back when I was your age." Giving Michiru a raised eyebrow, the priest of the Kururugi shrine leaned in a bit closer. "But if you don't mind me asking, where were you and these friends of yours planning on going, anyway?"

"Uh…the civic center," Michiru replied, requiring a moment to decide that honesty was the best policy in this case. After that, he went on to explain about the signing, and concluded that one of his friends one was a fan of Wyvern's books and wanted to get a signed addition. Deciding that this was close enough to the truth for his purposes, the Kururugi boy concluded with, "Sorry I didn't tell you about it before, but I just found out yesterday. And I…"

"I see," Mrs. Kururugi nodded. Looking over at her husband, who gave her a look in return, she then smiled at her son. "How long do you expect to be out?"

"Um…I'm not sure," Michiru returned, which was true enough. "I…I should be back later this afternoon." Then, feeling additional unease, he shrugged and added, "I…guess it depends on how much of a crowd is there, there sort of thing…."

Pressing her lips together, Mrs. Kururugi considered her son's words for a time. "Well, that should be alright," she finally said. Then she narrowed her eyes and told him, "Just be sure to call if something happens, or if you need to be picked up."

"And you better hurry and finish breakfast," Mr. Kururugi added, flipping the page of his paper while giving his son a look. "You don't want to miss the bus, do you?"

Smiling in relief, Michiru nodded. "Thanks, Dad," he told him before returning his focus to his breakfast.

Just as Michiru was munching down on another mouthful of rice, Kaname smiled and asked, "Hey, bro, do you think I can come with you?"

The instant this was said, Michiru very nearly choked on the wad of rice frozen in his mouth. "What?" he gasped out, looking in astonishment at his twin.

Taken aback by his reaction, Kaname lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to surprise you. But…" Pausing to shift about in her seat, the Kururugi girl frowned somewhat. "It's just…we haven't gone out and done anything together in a while now. And…"

Pressing his lips together, Michiru looked from his sister and back again. "I…understand," he told her consolingly. "But…I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Why not?" Kaname wondered as their parents looked on.

_Because one of my friends is a half-demon, and we might wind up having to steal a Shikon Jewel Shard by the time the day's over,_ Michiru thought, not even wanting to think about the potential implications of such a situation.

Casting a look at his parents, already nervous that a single wrong word would derail his plans, he said, "I…just don't think it's a good idea, that's all." Unsurprisingly, this did nothing to soothe Kaname, who's frown deepened. Wincing at this, Michiru smiled helplessly. "Maybe next time, sis."

The rest of the meal passed in relative silence, one that was punctuated by his parents giving him odd looks and reminding him to call if there was trouble, all the while Kaname silently studied her sibling. With considerable effort, he managed to more or less ignore these things until he was finally able to excuse himself from the table and take his dishes to the kitchen. Trying to put Kaname's unhappy face out of his mind, he then went up to his room and got out a duffel bag. Not wasting a moment, Michiru began filling it with a selection of clothes for InuYasha to wear.

_I guess it _has _been a while since Kaname and I did something together,_ Michiru frowned inwardly, zipping up the bag once it was filled. _With all my training and everything, I haven't had a lot of time to go to the movies or anything like that. _His frowned deepening, Michiru began wracking his brain as he stuffed the bag with clothes. Trying to remember when he had done something with Kaname, something like going to the mall or just talking after school.

The memories of he managed to cull forth were distant, however. Vague, as if they had happened an eternity ago. Like it had happened to another person altogether.

The person Michiru had been before he journeyed in the Feudal Era.

Sighing somewhat, Michiru stood and placed the bag over his shoulders. As he exited his room, he found himself confronted by an unhappy, female version of his own face. "Whatcha got in the bag?"

"Hmm?" Michiru started. Feeling like a little kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar, he looked at the bag before chuckling nervously. "Oh, it's nothing. Just…a few little things, that's all."

"A few little things," Kaname repeated, tilting her head to the side as she gazed at her brother. "Just to go to the civic center?"

"Uh, yeah…" Michiru returned, knowing full well just how lame that sounded even as he said it. Looking at the bag, he quickly tried to come up with some kind of explanation. Some way of justifying it. But then he frowned, for his imagination was not being especially forthcoming that day. So instead, all he could do was look back at his sister and sigh. "Look, sis, I have to get going or I'm gonna be late. So could you -?"

"No! Not until you tell me the truth!" Kaname declared with additional force. "Mom and Dad might have bought your story, but, c'mon, bro! What -?" Cutting herself off, the Kururugi girl grunted before shaking her head unhappily. While her brother stood there, looking at her, she sighed again before looking him right in the eyes. "Michiru…what's with you?"

"What do you mean?" Michiru wondered. "Kaname, I'm sorry, but I really have to…"

"Who are these friends of yours?" Kaname asked, moving to stand right in front of him. "C'mon, bro! Are they from school? Did you meet them at the park? What?"

"I…" Michiru hesitated, unsure of what to say at first. Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he eventually told her something that was as close to the truth as he felt he could. "I met them at the Higurashi Shrine."

"The…_Higurashi_ Shrine?" Kaname frowned, puzzled enough to take a step back. Taking advantage of this opening, Michiru started forward. Upon seeing this, his sister quickly moved to follow. "Wait a minute! I don't remember ever hearing of a shrine by _that _name! Where exactly is it?"

"It's…kinda far from here," Michiru shrugged. "That's why I have to take the bus there. And…"

Frowning at the obvious implication her brother had left unspoken, Kaname considered this for a moment. "Well…okay," she finally murmured. Then, with a smile that was more forced than anything, she added, "But…"

"But what?" Michiru wondered. "Kaname, what is it?"

Kaname didn't say anything right away. She simply stood there, eyeing her brother for a time. "Michiru…what's happened to you?" A sound of confusion echoing in his throat, the Kururugi boy cocked his head to the side while his sister looked at him pensively. "You've been acting weird for _months_ now! You've…you've changed, and…I just want to understand what's going on with you. That's all."

Blinking a few times at this, Michiru finally looked sadly at his sister. _You can't understand, Kaname,_ he thought somberly. _Because I've been down the rabbit hole and back again. And nothing's the same for me anymore._

But he didn't say this. Instead, he forced another smile and patted Kaname and the shoulder. "You worry too much, sis," he told her gently. Then, with fake enthusiasm, he added, "Look, we can do something special together some other time. How's that sound?"

The two of them stood there, looking at each other for a time, time in which many emotions flowed mercurially behind her blue-gray eyes. "Okay," Kaname she finally said as she lowered her gaze. Then she gave Michiru a rueful look and said, "You better get going, bro. You don't want to miss the bus."

"Thanks, sis," Michiru smiled before starting forward. Wishing he could leave his guilt behind as he headed out for the day.

* * *

It was with a sense of great relief that Michiru arrived at the Higurashi shrine and ran up towards Kagome's house. "Good morning, everybody!" he called as he entered the shrine residence.

The first person he saw was Sota, who was sitting at the dining room table. "Oh, hi, Michiru!"

"Hey, Sota!" Michiru returned with a polite wave. Holding up the duffel bag, he said, "I brought some clothes for InuYasha, and…hey, where is he?"

Smiling in a knowing fashion, Sota answered, "Mom and Kagome insisted InuYasha take a bath before we go anywhere today!"

"How the heck did they pull that one off?" Michiru wondered. InuYasha, much like a real dog, detested taking baths.

Sota smiled, like he had a really juicy secret to tell. "Sis just told him she'd say the 'magic word' ten times in a row if he didn't!"

"Ouch!" Taking a moment to picture that, Michiru shook his head and deposited his bundle on the dining room table. While he wasn't especially fond of the way Kagome used the Beads of Subjugation, or how frequently she did so, he had also learned that there wasn't a lot either he or InuYasha could do about it. Except try not to provoke her into using them, something that met with less success than either of them liked. "So what's your mother up to?"

"Well, InuYasha's kimono is pretty, so she decided to launder it for him."

"No surprise that it's filthy! I don't think he has any other clothes!" Michiru confessed with a laugh. That said, he sat down next to Sota, content to wait for his friends. And thus he was in a perfect position to listen in amusement as InuYasha raised a ruckus somewhere upstairs. While Michiru couldn't make out exactly what was being said, he got the impression that Kagome was trying to wash his hair, and successfully gotten a fair amount of shampoo in his ears.

"There's something I wanted to ask you," Sota began as Michiru smiled, wondering what would happen if Kagome made InuYasha sit in the bathtub. "Why are you so obsessed with getting back to Sango when she loves somebody else?"

Choking a bit at Sota's words, Michiru's first impulse was to defend himself. "Well, I don't think I'd say 'obsessed'! I mean, I'm not one of those sick freaks you hear about on the news or anything!"

"Well, yeah, I know that!" Sota said dismissively, as if the details were of no importance. "But you still want to be with her, right?"

Sighing, Michiru answered, "Yeah, that's right."

"But if she loves someone else…?"

"That doesn't matter, not with real love," Michiru explained sadly. "Whenever Sango smiled, I felt happy just to see it. When she was sad, I felt like my own heart was breaking in two. That's how I feel, and knowing that she cares for somebody else is never going to change that. I don't want to give up, just because it looks hopeless. I can't bring myself to do so."

Several moments passed before Sota replied. "You know, you sort of sound like Kagome when she's talking about what's going on between InuYasha and Kikyo."

"Really?" Michiru asked wanly. "I guess we have something in common there." A few minutes later, InuYasha and Kagome came downstairs. The half-demon was garbed in a bathrobe, looking madder than a wet hen, and smelling faintly like wet dog. And was busy exchanging a volley of insults with Kagome that went by so fast that he was unable to distinguish so much as a word of it.

"Hey, InuYasha!" Michiru said, trying to get his attention while Kagome tried to towel off his hair. "I got those clothes for you!"

"What? Oh, sure, fine, whatever!" InuYasha growled as he tried unsuccessfully to get Kagome to leave his head alone. "Come on! Let's get going and get this over with already!"

* * *

It took some doing, what with InuYasha not exactly being cooperative, but between Kagome, Mrs. Higurashi, and Michiru, they eventually they got him dressed. Fortunately, Michiru was fairly close to InuYasha's size in terms of build, so his clothes were a pretty decent fit. Once topped off by a baseball cap, InuYasha could almost pass for a junior high school student, and a long jacket fully concealed the Tetsusaiga. There was no hiding his fangs, claws, golden eyes and silver hair, but at least he wouldn't invite too much attention. Or so they hoped.

Joined by the rest of Kagome's family, who wanted to spend as much time with Kagome as possible before she had to return to the Feudal Era, Michiru and the others rode the bus downtown. The trip to the civic center was a warm experience, and for Michiru, it felt much like it had when he and his friends had journeyed together in the past. He found himself really looking forward to whatever the day had in store for them.

That didn't mean they could take their eyes off of InuYasha for even a second. Though he looked almost human, he had more than a few dog-like mannerisms that kept the two of them on their toes, and his ignorance of the modern world earned several strange looks as well. And so, Kagome made sure to stay next to him the entire time.

"InuYasha, do you really think Wyvern could have a _real_ Sacred Jewel Shard?" Kagome asked at one point, second and third doubts about this trip rearing in her mind.

"I dunno. It's possible, I guess" InuYasha snorted disinterestedly. "We've found some pretty strange things in this crazy world of yours before. The Flesh-Eating Mask, the Soul-Piper. Even some strong demons, _and_ a Sacred Jewel Shard!"

"I know. It's just seems pretty farfetched," Kagome explained. "Besides, even if we do find a Jewel Shard, how do we get it? We can't just steal something from him! Do you have any idea how much trouble we could get into?"

"Look, let's just see what we find when we get there!" InuYasha replied. Then he turned to look at Michiru, who was keeping Sota entertained during the long ride. "Anyway, even we don't find anything…at least the day won't be a total loss."

As Kagome looked from InuYasha to Michiru and back, she smiled in realization. "You're happy, aren't you? Being able to spend time with your best friend?" As InuYasha snorted in response, Kagome smiled even more deeply. "InuYasha, that's so sweet."

"Feh! Whatever!" was InuYasha's response, something that made Kagome laugh. He always had to play the tough guy.

* * *

Soon, they arrived at the civic center, where Kyle Wyvern was busily autographing books for the people there. "So that's him, huh?" InuYasha growled as he spied the friendly-looking American in a business suit who was greeting the people who had come for his autograph. "He sure don't look like much."

Though Michiru had learned not to judge a book by its cover during his journeys in Feudal Japan, he had to agree with InuYasha. Kyle Wyvern had a very ordinary appearance to him, a man in his late twenties to early thirties wearing a white business suit. The only exceptional thing about him was his hair, which was so red it looked ready to explode into flames at any moment.

While Grandpa went up to have his book signed, Kagome's mother going with him, InuYasha, Michiru, Kagome, and Sota kept busy by examining the various artifacts that dotted the civic center, items that Wyvern had gathered in the course of his travels. "Hey, Kagome?" Michiru asked as they walked around. "Do you sense anything?"

Kagome frowned momentarily. "I…I think so…"

"You _think?_" InuYasha growled. "What's that mean? Is there a Jewel Shard here or not?"

Kagome just looked about with an odd expression on her face. "It feels like a Jewel Shard, but it's so weak…" she reported. "Besides, a lot of these things in here have a definite feeling of power to them. Some of them feel really pure. And powerful, too." Taking a deep breath, Kagome started walking. "I think it's this way."

Before long, the four of them came to the display regarding the Sacred Jewel and its origins, of which the supposed Jewel Shard was the centerpiece. As they looked at the glass case that held the Shard, they discovered why Kagome was having a hard time pinning it down; the Jewel Shard was immured in amber that was inscribed with various sacred sutras.

"According to this, a monk somehow sealed this Jewel Shard in the sap of a sacred tree, and bound it with sutras so that demons could never use it," Sota explained, reading the card that came with the display. "It was later found in the mountains of Hida by a shepherd, who spotted it in the remains of a small landslide."

As the four of them stood in front of the display, InuYasha cast a meaningful glance at the Kagome. "So it really _is_ a Jewel Shard?" he demanded softly.

Kagome slowly nodded. "It is," was all she said as she looked expectantly at InuYasha.

"Well, what do we do now?" Michiru wondered, staring hopelessly at the Sacred Jewel Shard that was twinkling from within the amber.

"Relax!" InuYasha snorted as he folded his arms before him. "We'll just have to come back for it later. It's not like it's going anywhere!"

Kagome just stared at the half-demon, blinking a few times before asking, "What? You mean…you're not going to…?"

When Kagome trailed off, InuYasha gave her an annoyed looked. "What, you think I'm just smash in and grab it? In front of all these people?" When she failed to respond (though she privately thought that was _exactly_ what InuYasha would have done), the half-demon rolled his eyes. "Feh! Like I said, that Shard isn't going anywhere! We can deal with this later!"

When Kagome realized that InuYasha had more good sense that she had credited him for, she took a deep breath of relief. "Okay, then!"

"Right! Then how about we go look around some more?" Michiru suggested. "Then we go get something to eat, and plan our next move?" Looking over his shoulder at the civic center and the artifacts which decorated the expanse, he shrugged and added, "Besides, I'd like to see what else Wyvern has discovered about the Shikon Jewel. As well as some of the other stuff here."

"Now _that_ sounds like a plan!" InuYasha grinned, and with that they began examining the displays more carefully.

One thing quickly became certain; Wyvern knew quite a bit about ancient legends. The display beyond the Jewel Shard held several artifacts and pictures that conveyed the story of how it came into being with frightening accuracy.

"Whoa! You mean that's really how it happened?" Michiru gaped as he read about Midoriko, the priestess who had created the Sacred Jewel. How this mighty priestess was so feared by the demons that a horde of them merged together in order to gain the power needed to slay her. How, after days of battle, she had been forced to absorb the collective souls of the amalgamated demons into her own heart, merged them with her own soul, and with her last breath, fired it away from her body in the form of the Sacred Jewel.

"Yes. Sango told us all about it. Apparently, this all happened near her village," Kagome replied numbly, in shock at how alarmingly accurate Wyvern's research had been. While Michiru was turning red at Sango's mention, Kagome was getting nervous and excited at the same. "I dunno. Maybe there are some other things here that can help us."

"I hope so, Kagome," Michiru agreed as he looked about. "I – _aaauugh!_"

"What?" InuYasha barked, looking wildly about for any kind of threat. "What is it?"

"Sorry! It's just…take a look!" Michiru groaned. Placing his hand to his chest, his heart pounding furiously, he nodded towards what had frightened him.

Looking in the direction Michiru indicated, InuYasha growled in disbelief. "Is that…Utsugi's mask?"

"I don't think so," Kagome slowly replied as they all stared at thing that had shocked Michiru; a hideous brown mask with a mane of blonde hair that was hanging from one of the walls. "Look, the eyes are wrong. So is the mouth."

"Yeah, I…I know," Michiru got out slowly. "Sorry. It just startled me, that's all."

"Hey, no big deal, Michiru!" InuYasha grumbled.

"That thing sure brings back some bad memories, though," Kagome admitted unhappily. "Let's look at something else."

Leaving the mask behind, it wasn't long before Sota found something else for them to examine. "Hey, check this out!" Sota called out as he spied one particular object; an urn that was plastered with a large, complicated ward. "According to this, this urn was used to seal an ancient and deadly demon away hundreds of years ago!"

"Yeah? So what?" InuYasha snorted as they joined Sota.

"Let's see," Kagome smiled as she looked at the information that was written alongside the urn. "According this, the urn is reputed to hold the soul of Ryokage, one of the most dangerous demons of ancient Japan. It is roughly four to five hundred years old, and made of a various materials much stronger than those typically used in pottery of that time."

"Whoa! Do you think there might really be a demon in there?" Sota asked, and for an instant, Michiru was tempted to laugh, to say there wasn't a chance of that. However, two things stopped him from doing so. One was the fact that he had seen things that made something like that look positively normal.

The other was that the urn in question was starting to move about on its own power, rattling as the ancient ward burst into flames, disappearing before their eyes.

"Does that answer your question, kid?" InuYasha growled dangerously.

"_**After all these years…**_" a horribly eerie voice emerged from the urn, echoing throughout the building as people took notice, the first hints of fear and confusion appearing on their faces. "_**Shards of the Shikon Jewel...!**_"

Groaning, Michiru looked at Kagome. "_Please_ tell me you didn't bring the Jewel Shards!"

Looking unhappy, Kagome turned to Michiru and said, "Sorry…" As she did, Michiru got a good look at the bottle hanging from her neck where Kagome kept her Shikon Jewel Shards.

"Come on, demon! Or have you been stuck in that silly urn so long you can't even get free of it?" InuYasha taunted, his hands closing about the hilt of the Tetsusaiga. As if answering InuYasha's challenge, the urn exploded as the demon escaped, filling the civic center with a putrid smoke. Screaming in panic, people started rushing for the doors, trampling each other in the process.

"Kagome! Get Sota outta here, and quick!" InuYasha grated as he brought the Tetsusaiga out of its scabbard, the katana transforming into a monstrous fang. "Hey, Michiru, I hope you're ready for some action!"

"You bet I'm ready!" Michiru replied, adrenaline flooding his veins.

"_**Foolish mortals! I will have the Sacred Jewel Shards! Once again I shall be free to ravage and pillage this world at will!**_" the demon boasted. As Michiru shielded his eyes, he tried to spot where the demon was, but it was impossible with all of the smoke.

"I can't see the thing!" Michiru shouted to InuYasha. "What about you?"

"Ugh! This smoke!" InuYasha growled as he covered his nose. "Damn, this thing reeks!"

"_**A mortal and a half-demon actually dare to stand against Ryokage? I shall devour your flesh and souls first!**_"

"No, you won't! Oh, brightly shining light, give me your healing power! Protective Light!" Michiru called out, invoking the power of his Light Shikigami. A pentagram appearing at his feet, the Shikigami emerged from it in the form of a dragon before creating a barrier of magical light around him and InuYasha. Just in time, too, for Michiru saw the vague image of the demon just before it slammed into the shield!

"_**A Shikigami Master?**_" the demon growled angrily as it swirled back into the darkness it had spread all over the place. "_**I thought your putrid kind were extinguished!**_"

"Yeah, well, think again!" Michiru shouted in the general direction the voice had come from.

"Why are you worried about this kid? I'm the one you want to fight!" InuYasha snarled as he leapt out of the protective barrier. "Take this, you bastard! Wind Scar!" With that, InuYasha slashed with the Tetsusaiga, releasing a wave of energy that should have smashed whatever he was aiming at. However, to Michiru's dismay, the darkness seemed to swallow up the power of InuYasha's Wind Scar without any trouble. Writhing about like living thing, the dark clouds surged forth and swatted InuYasha like a fly.

Grunting in pain, InuYasha tumbled about through the air, the Tetsusaiga flying from his hands. "Dammit!" the half-demon snarled as he crashed on the floor, at which he quickly rolled to his feet. "Show yourself, you coward!"

"_**Now, why would I do that?**_" Ryokage chuckled malevolently. "_**Especially when I have such delightful plans in store for you!**_" With that, the demon completely enveloped InuYasha. As Michiru looked onward in horror, InuYasha began to scream like an animal being gored in battle.

"Leave him alone!" Michiru cried out, preparing a new spell he had discovered. "Oh, brightly shining light, shine your radiance upon this place! Rain of Light!" With that, his Light Shikigami once again came forth, exploding into a barrage of intense light that flooded every section of the civic center.

"_**Yee-arrgh! The light! The LIGGGHTT!**_" Ryokage howled in pain as his clouds of darkness began to dissipate before the blinding beams of radiance. "_**Wretched little human wizard! I'll be back for the Jewel Shards, and to make you suffer for your defiance! You shall all suffer for this!**_" With this declaration, the dark clouds that had flooded the civic center began to swirl overhead, forming a vortex. Spiraling upwards, the haze of shadows sank into the roof, bleeding out of the civic center interior through any crack or vent that was available.

Satisfied that the danger had momentarily passed, Michiru turned his attention towards his friend. "InuYasha!" he cried out as she raced over to where the half-demon was struggling to his feet. "Are you okay?" Just as he reached his friend, InuYasha roared and looked up at Michiru. And the Shikigami User found himself gazing into two bottomless pits of bloodlust.

Gasping in horror, Michiru immediately recoiled from the horror that was now the half-demon's face. Raging red eyes looked at him like a morsel to be slaughtered and devoured. Jagged, purple scars streaked across InuYasha's face, and his fangs had grown much larger and sharper than they had any right to be.

Stricken with terror, Michiru immediately backpedaled away from his friend. InuYasha growled horribly, falling into a crouch in the time that it took a person to blink. His entire body was the picture of feral readiness, claws bared and at the ready. And as he continued to gaze into the blazing pits of bloodlust that were InuYasha's eyes, the Shikigami User realized that he was about to die.

To his astonishment, however, this didn't happen. Instead, InuYasha's animalistic growling changed into a keening of pain. His entire body went rigid before he fell down to his knees. Howling in agony, he brought his clawed hands to his head, a dug deeply into his own scalp. "InuYasha!" Michiru cried out, completely lost in this madness. Watching in horrified amazement as gouts of blood appeared from his friend's silvery mane.

"He…help…m...meeee!" InuYasha squealed. Convulsing wildly, he fell down on his side, and began rolling madly about, as if wrestling with a monster in his own body.

Watching in terror as his friend cried out again and again, fighting against something he didn't understand, Michiru was startled by Kagome's voice. "The Tetsusaiga!" Broken from his horrified fascination, the Kururugi boy looked across the civic center, and saw Kagome standing in front of her family, her hands cupped to her mouth. "Quickly! Get him the Tetsusaiga!"

A series of incomprehensible noises escaped Michiru's lips as he tried to make sense of this. But then he looked back at InuYasha, who was still struggling with whatever had possessed him, and realized that this was no time for questions. Quickly looking about, he soon spotted the enchanted blade, which looked like nothing more than a rusty old stick. Dashing over and grabbing it up, Michiru then started back towards InuYasha. Somewhat wary of the flailing half-demon, he stepped as close as he dared, holding out the Tetsusaiga as he drew closer.

Just before he got within arm's reach of the tormented warrior, Michiru gasped when InuYasha paused and looked him dead in the eye, and once again, Michiru gasped with shock at the deep, savage bloodlust that was to be found in his eyes. But this lasted for only a moment, then InuYasha snarled and leapt up, savagely yanked the Tetsusaiga from the Shikigami User's grasp. Instinctively jumping back a step, Michiru could only watch and marvel as the strange sensation that InuYasha gave off ebbed away, and the crimson death drained from his eyes.

Finally, as InuYasha recovered from whatever had assailed him, he grunted dangerously and struggled back to his feet. "Damn that demon!" he growled, snapping the air with his hatred. "I'll slaughter him for this!"

"InuYasha!" Michiru got out, still shaken by his sudden transformation. "Are – are you alright?"

InuYasha turned and looked at Michiru with a great deal of anger. "No, I'm _not _alright!" he declared vehemently. "And I'm not going to _be _alright until I force-feed that bastard his own heart!"

"Wait! Hold on a second!" came Kagome's voice. Looking about, Michiru watched as she and the rest of the Higurashi family ran up to join them. "InuYasha, we can't just go blindly chasing after that thing! I mean, the Tetsusaiga didn't do anything to him! And look what it did to you!"

Fixing Kagome with his furious gaze, InuYasha countered, "And just what do you suggest I do, huh? Let that thing go running around wherever it wants?"

"Of course not, but Kagome's right!" Michiru broke in. "We have to find out more about Ryokage before we try and tackle him again!"

"Oh, sure! Right!" InuYasha snorted derisively. "And how do you suggest we do that? Because I don't see anyone around we can -!"

"Incredible!" came a voice from behind Michiru. A voice that he didn't know.

_Uh-oh…_ Michiru thought, getting the distinctive feeling that the other shoe had just dropped right on their collective heads. Slowly turning around, he saw Kyle Wyvern making his way towards them, looking aimlessly about the empty civic center. Grinning like an idiot at the wreckage of his book signing, and seeming not to care about the fact that artifacts and books of his had been scattered all over the place.

"The legendary Ryokage was actually real?" Wyvern gaped. "Amazing! Absolutely _amazing!_"

As Michiru and the others stared blankly at the delighted American, he was distantly aware of one of their number growling menacingly. "Amazing? What do you mean, amazing?" Kagome howled before taking a few steps towards Wyvern. "That stupid thing could have killed us all, and you say it's _amazing?"_

Stopped in his mental and physical wanderings, Wyvern met Kagome's gaze and smiled embarrassedly. "Well…true," he confessed in lightly accented Japanese. "But…I've studied Japanese legends and artifacts for _years, _to actually see one of those legends come to life with my own eyes? Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined that -!"

"Aw, cares about any of that?" InuYasha grumbled as he placed the Tetsusaiga in its scabbard. "That coward of a demon is out there somewhere, and we have to go -!"

"InuYasha, wait!" Michiru broke in, inspiration hitting him like a fist. While the half-demon was glaring at him, Michiru returned his attention to the American. "Wyvern…what do you know about Ryokage?"

Blinking a few times, Wyvern gave Michiru an odd look. "I know every legend and story ever written about Ryokage," he declared, his words a simple statement of truth without any boasting to them. "And…wait a minute. Who _are _you people?"

"Who _are _we?" InuYasha grumbled, moving up to Wyvern and glaring him in the face. "We're just the people who kept that damned demon from killing you and everyone else here! Who do you _think _we are?"

"You were battling Ryokage?" Wyvern repeated, raising an eyebrow at the half-demon. As Kagome and Michiru looked oddly at the American, he somehow shrugged with his face alone. "With everything that was happening, I couldn't really tell what happened! But if you…" As he looked back at InuYasha, Wyvern's voice failed and his face contorted with astonishment. For a moment, Michiru wondered if he was having a heart attack or something.

"Wha…d-dog ears?" Wyvern finally got out as he stepped closer to InuYasha. "You…you're not human!" Caught off-guard by this, Michiru and Kagome looked at their friend, and as one, the two of them groaned in dismay. At some point during the battle, the half-demon had lost his hat, revealing his ears for the entire world to see.

While the two of them were considering all the potential disasters that could result of this, Wyvern was grinning like a little boy in a toy store. "Fantastic!" the American marveled as he grabbed InuYasha's ears and began playing with them. "So what exactly are you, anyway? A werewolf, perhaps? Or maybe some kind of mutation?"

Growingly fiercely, InuYasha swatted Wyvern away before declaring, "I'm a demon, you idiot! Ain't it obvious?"

"A…a demon? An actual, living _demon?"_ Wyvern squeaked out, paling somewhat. But that last for just a moment before his grinned like a madman. "That's…that's _amazing!"_ As everybody stared at him, with Kagome wondering if the American had gone off of his rocker, he began studying InuYasha with greater intensity. "I've heard legends of a clan of dog-demons that once ruled in ancient Japan. Reputed to be honorable, these demons took good care of their human vassals, contrary to several of the other tribes of demons that were supposed to live back then. Are you a survivor of that clan? If so, could you possibly -?"

"Could you possibly _shut up?"_ InuYasha barked, stopping the American in his tracks. "Look, the only things I want to talk about right now is how the hell do we get rid of that damned evil freak Ryokage!" he declared, whipping out the Tetsusaiga. As the enchanted blade transformed, he pointed the tip of it right at Wyvern's nose. "So start talking before I get really mad!"

Taking a moment to study the massive metal fang, Wyvern soon realized that now was probably not the best time to be conducting an interview. "Well, according to legend, Ryokage is a demon that thrives in the darkness and shuns the light. Also, and perhaps even more importantly, it is a demon that gains sustenance by feeding on the dark desires of other creatures," he explained in a somewhat pedantic tone. "It does so by possessing a human host, and the longer Ryokage is possession of said victim, the more inhuman it becomes."

"So it was trying to possess InuYasha just now?" Michiru gaped, thinking back to the bestial transformation his friend had undergone. Turning towards Kagome friend, he frowned unhappily. "Whew…that sure explains a lot."

"Uh…yeah," Kagome smiled nervously. Then, more quickly, she added, "It's a good thing you managed to scare Ryokage off with your Rain of Light. Otherwise…well, who knows _what _might have happened!"

"Yeah, well, that still doesn't tell us how we can find that bastard!" InuYasha growled. "Or how we kill it off!"

"Well, I'm afraid that would be the tricky part," Wyvern confessed. "According to legend, Ryokage is mostly invincible while in his shadow form. However, at the same time, he's almost incapable of interacting with this physical world, except through the victims he possesses. The only time he can possibly be hurt or killed is while he's in a physical body." Then he shrugged helplessly, and added, "Of course, I can't guarantee just how accurate that information is. Seeing as it is secondhand at best."

"Yeah, well it obviously hates light, so you were right about that part," Kagome decided. "So I guess we don't have to worry about him showing up again. At least, not before nightfall."

"Yeah, it looks that way," InuYasha agreed, finally sheathing the Tetsusaiga. "And seeing as that pathetic little demon hasn't been out of its urn in a while, I'd bet that the first thing it's gonna do is look for a new body." Baring his fangs, he narrowed his eyes and muttered, "And then…he's gonna go looking for some more humans to snack on."

While Michiru was considering this, the possibility of innocent people being transformed as his friend had been, Wyvern nodded in agreement. "Most likely. Also, from what I understand, the more wicked and corrupt the person in question is, the more Ryokage likes it."

"Yeah, well, that's interesting," InuYasha growled in a way that let everyone know that he wasn't the slightest bit interested. "But it still doesn't tell us where to _find the damn thing!"_

"Uh…wait! Can't you smell Ryokage?" Michiru wondered, recalling InuYasha's comments about the demon's stench. "If you can track his scent, then…"

"If I could do that, believe me, I'd have been out of here already!" InuYasha declared with such vehemence that Michiru found himself taking an involuntary step backwards. Furrowing his brow, the half-demon lowered his eyes in self-disgust. "The bastard took all of his stink with him. I can't smell anything here anymore."

"But…" Sota hesitated, unsure of how to broach this matter. "But if you can't smell him, then how're you gonna find him before sunset?"

The low growl that sounded in InuYasha's throat was the only sound the half-demon made. But even as his clawed hands tensed into fists, Wyvern wore a look of consideration. "Well…there _is _one possibility," he murmured in a thoughtful tone. "I had a special compass on display here, one reputed to have the power to track any and all demons. If it works…"

"If it works, then it'll lead us right to Ryokage, right?" Michiru asked hopefully.

"Good luck finding it, though," Kagome muttered, looking over the mess that the demon had made during its rampage. "And even if we can, there's no guarantee that it'll actually work. Or that we can find Ryokage before he possesses someone else!"

His eyes narrowed into slits, InuYasha looked from Wyvern towards the colossal mess that was the civic center. And while he knew that this was likely a longshot, he knew that this was likely to be their best chance. "Well, we have until sunset. So let's not waste any time!" he finally declared, 'payback' written all over his face. "What's this thing look like, anyway?"

"The compass? Well…it looks like a small, metal gyroscope, and it was hung from a cord like a pendant," Wyvern explained as he looked off into the distance. "As I recall, it was on display…over there. Somewhere."

Following Wyvern's gaze, Kagome nodded. "Right. Then let's get moving."

"And while we're looking, perhaps one of you would be kind of enough to tell me whom _exactly _you people are?" Wyvern demanded in a voice that was somewhere between polite and extremely cranky. "I realize that I've somehow managed to blunder into something of importance, but I really have no idea what that something is. And considering everything's that been happening here, I would think that I deserve _some_ kind of explanation!" Then he looked over at InuYasha, and smiled in a knowing fashion. "Especially given the fact that you have a demon in your company."

His breath catching in his throat, Michiru realized that they had a serious problem to deal with. While he wasn't exactly sure how much Wyvern had seen or heard, the fact was that they had someone who was aware of InuYasha's true nature, and had a good idea that something very strange and very dangerous was going on. And all of those things put together meant that he was a person who could cause them a great deal of trouble, unless dealt with in the proper manner.

Fortunately, Mrs. Higurashi seemed to realize this as well. "I understand," she said, taking Wyvern's hand. Looking at the rest of them, she smiled in the gentle manner that she seemed to have perfected. "The rest of you, start searching. I'll explain everything to Mr. Wyvern." Looking the American in the eyes, she smiled in an even more disarming fashion. "Besides, I suspect we might need your help explaining things to the police."

Pressing his lips together, Wyvern then nodded. "True. In fact, I would be surprised if someone hadn't called them here already," he decided with a decided smile. "All the more reason to settle matters as quickly as possible, I would say."

"So would I," Mrs. Higurashi agreed as she escorted Wyvern away. "So while we're talking, perhaps we make sure that they don't cause any trouble. At least stall them until…"

As Mrs. Higurashi's voice faded away, InuYasha growled beneath his breath before looking about. "Well, c'mon, already! That stupid compass isn't gonna find itself!"

"Right," Michiru agreed, and with that, the Shikigami User started towards where Wyvern had indicated the compass had been displayed. As he began sifting through the various objects that were scattered about the floor, he was unaware of InuYasha looking sadly at him. Or that the half-demon then when up to Kagome and pulled her off to the side. Just long enough to say to her what he felt had to be said.

* * *

"Hey! Look here, everyone!" cried out a voice from across the civic center.

"What is it, Sota?" Kagome asked, looking up from the pile of debris she had been searching through. Several minutes has passed since they had started searching, time enough for her mother to finish giving Wyvern an abridged explanation as to who they were before coming back to help search. "Did you find it?"

"Yeah! At least, I think I did!" Sota returned, holding up something in his hand. "What do you think, Mr. Wyvern?"

"Here, let me see," Wyvern called out, already darting over to where the youngest Higurashi stood. As soon as he reached Sota's side, the American took the artifact in hand, and nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, this is it, alright. And it looks like it survived Ryokage's assault undamaged, thank goodness."

As Wyvern studied the ancient compass, InuYasha, Michiru, Kagome, and the rest of the Higurashis approached and looked at the object Sota had found. It was currently dangling by a thread from the American's hand, and while it had clearly been used quite frequently in the past, there was no sign of damage or any form of corrosion. Adorning the ring of the gyroscope was a stubby arrow, which presently hung limp.

"Well, it's about time!" InuYasha growled impatiently. "Anybody have any idea how long until sunset?"

"Uh, let's see…" Kagome muttered, drawing out her cell phone and flipping it open. "Oh, man!" Looking up from her phone, she held out the time display for them all to see. "It's almost six o'clock!"

"But…that gives us less than an hour before its dark!" Michiru protested.

"Then we don't have any more time to spend fooling around!" InuYasha growled, already reaching for the compass. "Now give it here, and we can -!"

"InuYasha, wait!" Wyvern protested even as the half-demon took hold of the ancient artifact. "This compass is -!" Before he could complete his statement, the compass lit up with a beautiful golden light. Smoke began rising up from InuYasha's hand, and was accompanied by the sound of flesh sizzling.

"_Arrrrgggh!"_ InuYasha howled as the light of the compass intensified into a brilliant flash. As the rest of them averted their eyes, the half-demon was sent flying off into the distance, and with a cry of pain, came crashing down on the floor several meters away.

"…Is a sacred artifact that has been sanctified by priests and priestesses in order to protect it from demons," Wyvern finished lamely as drops of sweat rolled down the faces of everyone else present. "As you've…already noticed. Sorry about that."

While InuYasha was getting back to his feet, growling deep in his throat as he did so, Kagome reached for the artifact. "Here. Maybe I should try," she offered, gingerly taking the compass in hand. "So, uh…how does this thing work, anyway?"

"Well, according to legend, all one has to do is concentrate on whatever it is that you wish to find, and the compass will point the way," Wyvern explained, relinquishing the compass. "But it will only respond to the touch of someone with great spiritual or magical strength."

"Then let's see if this thing works as advertised," Kagome declared as she held the compass up by its string. Closing her eyes in concentration, she stood perfectly still as the others stood watching. Seconds passed and nothing happened. But then, finally, a purplish light crept down the string and sank into the artifact, causing the arrow to glow with an unearthly light.

"Wow! Look at that!" Sota gaped as the compass began to sway like a pendulum, the ring spinning of its own accord. As the rest of them looked on, the arrow then stopped, sending out a beam of divine light.

"It…it worked!" Wyvern cried out as the beam stabbed at the wall. His face splitting with a delighted grin. "Amazing! Absolutely amazing!"

As the rest of the group voiced similar sentiments, Kagome opened her eyes and looked at the beam herself. "Whoa," she breathed, taking in the beam. But then she frowned somewhat, and asked, "But…where is pointing to?"

"Eh, who cares about that?" InuYasha demanded, his hands no longer sizzling. "All that matters is that we track down that stupid demon before sundown!"

"Right," Michiru nodded, thinking back to what had happened before. Of other people, transformed the way his friend had been, a thought that made him sick to his stomach. "We better get going."

"Wait!" Kagome protested. "I don't have my bow or any arrows!"

Blinking a few times, Michiru brought his hand to his head, wincing at this oversight. "Aw, you've gotta be kidding me!" InuYasha growled as he glared at the reborn priestess. "You mean you're just bringing that up _now?"_

A dangerous rumbling was heard in Kagome's throat as she leaned forward and glared angrily at the half-demon. "Well, excuse me! But in case you haven't noticed, things have been pretty crazy today! So back off!"

"Back off?" InuYasha demanded sourly. "Of all the -!"

"Now, that's enough, you two!" Mrs. Higurashi broke in, frowning as she looked between the bickering twosome. "We have enough problems without the two of you fighting amongst yourselves!" Not giving either of them a chance to say anything to this, she then turned to Wyvern. "I don't suppose you have any bows or arrows that my daughter might use here, would you?"

Wyvern quickly shook his head to this. "Sorry, I'm afraid not," he confessed. "However, I did notice a sporting goods store nearby that might have what you need. If we can spare a moment, I'd be happy to buy whatever it is you need."

"Whoa! Really?" Kagome smiled in surprise. "Thanks a lot!"

"No thanks are necessary," Wyvern replied with a wave of his hand. "From what your mother has told me, and given what I managed to overhear of the battle, it would seem that I'm just as responsible for our current situation as anyone. Therefore, it's only fair that I help you now."

"In that case, I don't suppose you can arrange for some kind of transportation?" Michiru asked hesitantly. "Even with the compass pointing the way, we still don't know how far away Ryokage might have gotten." Then he cast a sheepish look at InuYasha, and added, "Besides, I don't think it would be a good idea for us to be too…conspicuous."

"Huh?" InuYasha grumbled, raising an eye at his friend. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that it would be a bad idea for us to be seen during the day," Kagome informed him. "In case you've forgotten, most people in this world don't even believe in demons. And I'd rather keep it that way!"

"Yes, I would think so," Wyvern agreed. "Well, I have a car around back. And if the legends are correct, Ryokage shouldn't have been able to go very far. Not with the sun still out."

"Works for me," Kagome returned before turning to her family. "Mom, Grandpa, Sota, you should stay here while we take care of Ryokage."

Nodding, Grandpa told her, "Yes, of course, Kagome. Just before sure to come back safely."

"Don't worry. Nothing's going to happen to her or Michiru. Not while I'm around," InuYasha declared, taking hold of Tetsusaiga's hilt. "Now, let's moving! The sun isn't getting higher while we're jabbering away here!"

* * *

Author's Note: Chapter 2 is up! Again, read and review, everybody!

For those of you wondering, no, I did not base Wyvern on myself. He is, however, a homage of sorts. His first name, Kyle, is taken from one of my deceased cats.

As for the reason I created Wyvern, it's been my opinion the InuYasha anime/manga lacks any real 'brain' character: The kind of person that has knowledge and experience and is called upon to answer people's questions. True, Kaede, Miroku, and sometimes Sango have filled that role, but none of them has been up to solving the mystery of the Bone-Eater's Well, and if Michiru is going to make it back to the Feudal Era, that mystery will have to be solved. Not that this is the only reason I brought Wyvern into being. He's going to eventually have even further impact on this story!

As for Michiru and Kaname's parents, I had to use my imagination in that regard. We never actually see their father's face in the game, but judging from his voice, he strikes me as a stern, yet caring person, so I tried to make him come off that way. And as for their mother, during the epilogue movie at the game, when Michiru (or Kaname, depending on who you play as) is looking about, realizing that he (or she) is back, you can see a woman dressed in a kimono and hakama similar to those worn by Kikyo and Kaede. Given that the Kururugi's are a shrine family, it seems likely that she's Michiru and Kaname's mother.


	3. Light and Darkness

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or anything associated with it. I'm writing this story simply because I enjoy writing.

Chapter 3: Light and Darkness

As Kagome sat in the back of Wyvern's car, the compass held in her hands and still pointing the way, she couldn't help but feel deep apprehension about everything that was happening. Like they were on the edge of disaster, a step away from falling to their doom.

It wasn't that they were going into battle. She had fought enough times in the Feudal Era that she was longer overly fearful of such things. And even though Ryokage was an enemy unfamiliar to her with potentially deadly capabilities, she had fought so many demons in the past to not be panicked about the prospect.

What truly concerned her now was the fact that they weren't _in _the Feudal Era. That the battle that was about to be fought was taking place in the modern world. The land that was her home. And while this wouldn't be the first time this had happened, this looked to be the worst of such battles. And for so many reasons.

Most of the demons that had managed to survive into modern times were fairly weak, especially when compared to the kind she was used to fighting, such as Naraku and his incarnations. But Ryokage's full potential was unknown, and his ability to possess the living made him that much more of a danger to them. The fact that a creature like that still lived in her world, a time she had always felt to be safe from demons and a refuge she depended on when things became too stressful in the Feudal Era, was one that chilled her to the heart. And caused her to think of the horrible things such a beast could do her family and friends, who had no powers of their own to defend themselves with.

As if this wasn't bad enough on its own, there was also the problem of her allies. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo were all back in the Feudal Era, so Kagome wouldn't be able to count on them to help win this battle. As for Michiru, while he had proven himself a capable fighter in his own right, he hadn't seen combat in over three months, and there was still a great deal that none of them new about his Shikigami powers.

Then there was Kyle Wyvern, who was driving them in the general direction still indicated by the compass. He wasn't a fighter, had no special powers of his own, and worst of all, he was basically an unknown to them. True, the fact that he had offered to help them as far as he had, and had even purchased the bow and arrows Kagome now had with her said good things, but there was no telling how he might react if the situation got bad.

_Even if we win this, we'll still have to keep an eye on him,_ Kagome thought unhappily. _The last thing we need if for him to tell the whole world about us! _Shuddering at the image of herself and her friends winding up on the cover of Wyvern's next best-seller, or even some sleazy tabloids, the reborn priestess was shaken from her thoughts when the pointer on the compass began pointing off to her right.

Looking up, Kagome quickly studied her surroundings. They were on the freeway, moving somewhat faster than the posted limits and weaving about traffic, prompting the other drivers expressed their opinions of Wyvern's driving skills with their horns and by giving him the infamous one-fingered salute. But none of that mattered to Kagome. All that mattered was the beam coming from the compass, a beam that marked a course towards the coastline.

"Wyvern!" Kagome demanded, leaning forward with growing anticipation. "Take the next exit!"

"Understood," Wyvern replied fairly coolly.

As Wyvern moved to take the exit, cutting off another driver in the process and getting blasted by his horn, InuYasha growled in discomfort. "Dammit! I hate those things!" he snarled, wincing at the sound. "Just how much longer until we get there, anyway?"

"I don't know. In fact, I'm not even sure where _there _is!" Kagome retorted as she studied the compass, as well as the straight line it projected towards their goal. "All I can tell you is that…well, it feels like we're getting closer."

As InuYasha growled beneath his breath, Michiru gave the reborn priestess a look. "Feels?" he repeated quizzically. "You mean you can feel where Ryokage is?"

"No, nothing that precise!" Kagome protested, looking more intensely at the compass. "It's more of an impression than anything else. Like…I can sort of hear or smell Ryokage or something…and its getting stronger." Which was nowhere near a precise identification of the demon's location, she knew. But all things considered, it was a lot better than nothing.

"I just hope we get to him in time," Kagome muttered beneath her breath as an afterthought. Not wanting to even consider the alternative.

"Hey, don't you worry about it, Kagome! We'll stop that bastard! Bet on it!" InuYasha growled crossly.

Looking over at the half-demon, Kagome felt a deep pit open in her stomach. Though she knew that InuYasha was projecting a strong front, trying to keep the world at arm's length, she could tell he was still suffering from being possessed by Ryokage, and being driven to his full-demon state as a result. Was thinking of the things his full-blooded self could and would have done, without the Tetsusaiga to restrain its savagery.

Wishing she could do something to soothe his concerns, Kagome was vaguely aware of Michiru speaking. "What I want to know is how Ryokage got this far?" he wondered unhappily. "We're pretty far away from the civic center now. How could he get all the way here with the sun still out?"

"Good point," Kagome admitted with a frown, recalling just how much that demon hated the light. "It doesn't seem possible, so how…?"

"He must've been moving through the sewer system," Wyvern decided as he ran a yellow light just as it was turning red. "That's the only thing that makes any sense."

"The sewer?" Kagome got out. Then her eyes went wide as she slapped herself in the forehead. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that?"

"The sewer? You mean those disgusting tunnels you've got under this weird city?" InuYasha wondered.

"Exactly. If Ryokage moved through the sewers, then he wouldn't have trouble with the sun!" Kagome explained quickly. "Not only that, but he'd be able to go anywhere in the city! He'd be able to get into any house or building or -!"

"In which case, it's all too likely that he'd have possessed someone by now," Wyvern concluded grimly. "And yes, I should've thought of that myself. Long before now."

Sucking in a deathly gasp, Kagome's mind filled with horrible images. With the possibility of a family, sitting down to a nice, quiet dinner, only to have Ryokage erupt from the kitchen or perhaps the bathroom. Of a father or mother or child suddenly transforming into a monster while his or her family looked on in horror.

As this vision ran its course, and concluded with an image of several faceless bodies on the floor, blood spreading across the floor, InuYasha shook his head. "I don't think so," he muttered beneath his breath. As Kagome sat up straighter and stared at him, the half-demon continued, "If it were that simple, then why would he come out this far? Why not just go into the nearest building and possess someone?"

"Maybe he's hiding from us," Michiru suggested. "He has to know he can't beat us the way he is, and if he took on a human form, he'd be vulnerable, right?"

"That's what the legend says," Wyvern concurred while dodging a pedestrian who was just starting to cross the street. "The only way to kill Ryokage is to do so while he's in a human host. But they also say that he is also capable of burning out a host and escaping."

"But they also said that he feeds on the evil in humans. And that the more evil they are, the better, right?" InuYasha demanded. "So maybe the reason he came out here is because he's not just out for a new body. He wants a really big meal to go along with it!"

"You mean…he's looking for a lot of people to feed on? Really _evil _people?" Kagome asked. When InuYasha confirmed this, she frowned and shook her head. "But where would he find something like that, anyway?"

"Isn't it obvious, Kagome?" InuYasha asked derisively. "The bastard's going after a prison!"

"No. Not just a prison!" Michiru spoke up, his voice high with inspiration coupled with horror. "A maximum security prison!" When Kagome and InuYasha turned to look at him, the Shikigami User's face had whitened with shock. "I did a report on the Japanese prison system for social studies earlier this year! And the Jinnai Maximum Security Prison is where they keep some of the most dangerous prisoners in all of Japan!"

"Are you serious?" Kagome demanded.

"Yes," Michiru confirmed with shaky nod. "The whole place is filled with rapists and murderers! It's where they keep the worst of the worst!"

A dangerous, feral look appeared on InuYasha's face. "That sure sounds like the first place I would go if I was that bastard," he agreed. "Do you remember where it is?"

"Not exactly," Michiru confessed. "All I remember was that it was on the coastline, but…" He concluded by gesturing towards the compass. Which continued to point in the direction of the coast.

Pressing her lips together, Kagome gave Michiru a rueful look. "I sure hope you're wrong about this," she murmured anxiously. "Ryokage seemed pretty powerful, even back at the civic center. I don't even want to think about what might happen if he starts feeding on people like that."

Holding back the fact that even the thought of humans of any kind becoming prey to an abomination like that, Kagome was dimly aware of InuYasha muttering, "I know what you mean." Exhaling sharply, the half-demon focused his gaze on the beam pointing the direction. "That's why this bastard is going to die. Today."

Chilled by InuYasha's fury, but understanding it, nonetheless, Kagome returned her attention to the compass. Hoping beyond hope that Michiru was wrong.

* * *

"I was really hoping I was wrong," Michiru groaned as Wyvern brought the car to a halt at a street corner. As close as they could get towards where the compass had led them.

They were currently parked a short distance from a fence topped with barbed wire that Michiru's Shikigami could sense electrical current running through. A distance beyond this was a massive building that was built like an ironclad fortress. Every aspect of its design was grim and horrible, as if it were its own warning for others to stay away from it. It was surrounded by a solid stone wall, and on three sides of it was nothing but a sheer drop down to the rocky surf below. On the remaining side was a narrow stretch of land that bridged the gap between the mammoth monstrosity and the rest of Japan. And at the main fence, just beyond the guard station with a man on duty, was a sign that said, 'Jinnai Maximum Security Prison'. And a smaller sign below it read, 'No Trespassers Allowed.'

"Well, we figured he'd be here," InuYasha growled, paying no attention to the fence or the signs. All he had eyes for was the tiny beam of light projected from the compass that marked the prison as Ryokage's current hiding place. "Now we just have to get in there and take him down."

"What? Are you crazy?" Kagome demanded incredulously. "Do you have _any _idea of how much trouble we'll get into if we're caught! It's not like they're gonna just let us waltz in and look around for a _demon!_"

"I figured that one out!" InuYasha retorted gruffly. "But we can't just let that damned bastard snack on the whole damned place!"

"I know, I know! But that's a _maximum security prison!_ How are we supposed to get in there without someone spotting us?" Kagome demanded, her voice rising with her ire. "The whole place is probably rigged with security cameras and infrared beams and that sort of thing! They'll see us coming before we even get close!"

"So what do you suggest we do, Kagome?" InuYasha growled with growing heat. "Just sit around and wait until nightfall and hope he comes out without _killing everyone in that damned place?"_

"Of course not!" Kagome sneered. "I'm just saying that we can't go in there and blast everything in sight! We have to be careful about this!"

Veins bulging from his forehead, InuYasha growled, "And while we're wasting time pussyfooting around, Ryokage's probably grabbing a host and -!"

"He's probably doing that while you two are sitting around arguing!" Michiru cried out, having had his fill of his friends bickering. His outburst momentary stopped his friend's acidic tongues, and as they turned and looked at him, he heaved a deep breath, and began to make his case. "InuYasha, I'm sorry, but Kagome's right. If we get caught by the security here, it'll only make things harder for us! Besides, if they take off your hat, they'll see that you're not human!"

Grunting at this unavoidable fact, InuYasha glowered sourly at his friend. "I'd rather have them see my ears and still be breathing then them not seeing them while they're lying around dead!"

"I know that, InuYasha!" Michiru told him in as soothing a manner as possible. "I'm just saying that we have to be smart about this." Turning about, he looked at the imposing fortress that was the maximum security prison. "Now, there's no way we can get in through the front without being seen. But what about the sides?"

"The sides?" Kagome repeated blankly.

"I see what you mean," Wyvern commented, turning to look at the three youths. "The security on the sides is probably fairly light, simply because they wouldn't expect anyone to be able to reach the prison from there." Then he frowned in thought. "However, once you're past the fences, if you're spotted by the cameras…"

"I know, but…maybe we can take them out before they see us," Michiru continued, somewhat less certain than he liked. "InuYasha's right about one thing. There's no way we can let Ryokage take over this place. We have to stop him, and fast!"

Studying the faces of her friends, Kagome frowned before saying, "I still don't like it, but…you're right. We can't wait." Then she looked down at the compass that hung about her neck. "Besides, once we get closer, maybe we can get a better idea where he is in there before we actually go in."

"Sounds like a plan," InuYasha declared. "Come on, let's get moving!"

"Hold on. It might be better if I let you off somewhere further away. Preferably where the guards can't see you," Wyvern informed them. "No use taking any foolish chances."

"Good point," Kagome immediately agreed. Directing a glance at InuYasha, she gave him a wry smile. "I don't know about you, but I'd rather not wind up under arrest before this day is over."

An annoyed sound echoed in InuYasha's throat at this. "Oh…okay, fine! Whatever! But let's just hurry up already! We've wasted enough time as it is!"

"Very well, then," Wyvern said agreeably. While InuYasha muttered about the stupidity of this crazy modern world beneath his breath, the American started the car again. Only to stop when a massive roar of thunder shook the air and slammed into them, shaking the car and sending its occupants tumbling to the side.

"Arrggh!" InuYasha growled as he recovered, visibly in pain from the effect the intense shockwave had on his ears. "What the hell -?"

"_Look!_" Kagome cried out, pointing towards the prison. As Michiru recovered, he looked out the window…and felt his heart sink into the depths as he took in the nightmare before him.

Several plumes of smoke were now billowing up from the prison, and flames were seen erupting from numerous windows. Cries of pain and fear were heard, even though they were still quite a distance away. This was soon followed by a siren blaring, and the guard at the station looking about frantically.

"Dammit! I _knew _it!" InuYasha snarled hatefully as further explosions rocked the prison. Taking hold of the door, he very nearly ripped it from its frame as he tore it open. "Come on! Let's get going!"

"But -!" Kagome sputtered, stunned by the sudden turnaround. "But what about the guard? Or security?"

"Trust me, they've got their hands full as it is!" InuYasha declared. "Well, come on, you two! Or are do I have to do this on my own?"

"Uh, hang on, InuYasha!" Michiru countered as he fumbled with his door. As another explosion shattered the air, he grimaced in horror as he looked out at the horizon. "I don't believe this! The sun hasn't even gone done yet! It's still light out and he's -?"

"I guess Ryokage must've been busy in there while we were sitting on our butts!" InuYasha declared even as Michiru and Kagome scrambled out of the car. As they closed the doors, the half-demon looked in through the driver's side window. "Wyvern, you better get out of here. This is going to be really ugly."

"Yes, and I'd say it'll be getting a lot uglier before it gets better," Wyvern commented, directing a sorrowful glance at the prison, and the screams that were coming from it. "Just be sure that you all come back in one piece." Then he managed to force a smile of encouragement onto his face. "I'll be back for you later. So be sure to call me and let know where to find you…once you've defeated Ryokage." This said, he hit the accelerator, and was gone within seconds.

"Alright, let's get going," InuYasha growled lowly in anticipation, taking the lead as the odd threesome made their way forward. Without hesitation he made his way up to the first fence and drew the Tetsusaiga. "Hey! Hey, you!" he called out as he approached the guard station. At once, the guard looked up at the approaching half-demon, only to gape in astonishment at the massive curved blade he held.

Then InuYasha grinned. Michiru quivered inside upon seeing this, because it was not a nice grin.

A second later, InuYasha raised the Tetsusaiga overhead, and brought it down as a deadly wind swirled about the blade. When the mighty fang crashed down upon the earth, several bands of pure destruction erupted from it and tore through the fence, gouging deep furrows in the ground that ripped right past the guard station, practically gouging a path right to the prison itself.

Kagome groaned at this, bringing her hand to her head and most likely thinking something along the lines of how impulsive the half-demon was. As for InuYasha, he simply grinned as the force of the Wind Scar sent his hat tumbling to the ground, where Michiru quickly grabbed it up and stuck it in his pockets. Then InuYasha walked up towards the guard station and looked at the security officer in within, who had turned a deathly pale. "Hey! You in there!" the silver-maned warrior began, hoisting Tetsusaiga so that it rested on his shoulder. The guard, trembling so badly that Michiru could hardly believe that he could remain standing, somehow managed to turn and look at the half-demon.

"If I were you, I'd do two things!" InuYasha grinned, leaning in closer towards the guard. "First; I'd run away from here. As fast as I can," he explained, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "And second; I'd forget that you ever saw us. Because if somebody shows up later, asking questions about us, then I'm going to remember your scent. I'm gonna track you down. And I'm going to make you regret ever laying eyes on me. Got it?"

The guard's response to this was immediate. He collapsed to the floor, faint from the shock.

"Eh, I guess that'll work, too," InuYasha declared while Kagome was groaning in dismay once again. "Come on, let's go!"

Snorting loudly, Kagome fell in line behind him, with Michiru close behind. "We really need to talk later," she muttered irritably. When InuYasha didn't bother to respond to this, she decided to change subjects. "Okay, we'll have to be ready the instant we get inside. Michiru?"

"Uh, yes?" Michiru returned, casting a glance back at the guard and hoped that he wouldn't be causing trouble in the future.

"Ryokage could be anywhere, so as soon as we find him, be ready to hit him with your Rain of Light attack," Kagome ordered him. "That should make him think twice about causing more trouble."

Michiru froze momentarily at this. "Um, Kagome…"

"What is it?"

"Well, actually, Rain of Light isn't an attack spell," Michiru admitted with a hint of embarrassment. At this statement, the other two stopped dead in their tracks, turning to freeze Michiru with stares of disbelief.

"It _isn't?_" InuYasha gaped, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

Michiru shook his head quickly. "It's a spell I came up with for lighting up dark places like caves or forests at night. It's like a big flare, that's all."

"But if that's all it is, then why did you use it on Ryokage before?" Kagome blared, shock turning to anger.

"Well, with all the darkness he'd spread over the civic center, I was guessing that he didn't like the light," Michiru admitted.

"You were _guessing?_" InuYasha growled in disbelief.

"Well, I couldn't actually _attack_ him!" Michiru responded, shifting about uncomfortably. "I saw Ryokage swallow you up, remember? If I had attacked him, you would've gotten hit as well!"

Kagome then grabbed Michiru by his shirt collar and shoved her face right into his. "Are you telling me that you haven't come up with _any_ new attack spells since you got back?"

"I've got a couple new ones. And I even awoke a new Shikigami while I was here," Michiru told them, a bit stung by the implication. Then he shrugged helplessly. "Just…no new Light attacks." As the others continued to stare, he added, "I had to give up on working on my attack spells when I…um, I kinda blew up this abandoned shop that I used to practice them in."

While Kagome loosened her grip, her eyes widened in surprise, InuYasha demanded, "So your Light of Judgment is still your only Light attack? Is that what you're saying?" When Michiru nodded helplessly, the half-demon's face wrinkled up in frustration. "Don't use it, no matter what, okay?"

"But -!" Michiru began.

"_Don't use it!_" InuYasha growled with greater heat. "You use that thing, and you're out of the fight! And if it _doesn't_ finish Ryokage off, you won't be able to protect yourself!"

His mouth popping open to protest, Michiru then sagged unhappily. He knew his friend had a point. In the past, when he had used Light of Judgment, he would faint immediately afterwards, and it would be hours before he regained his full strength. "InuYasha, I…I'm sorry…"

"Relax! We can defeat Ryokage without it!" InuYasha declared confidently, dismissing Michiru's concerns with a snort. "Now, c'mon! Let's get moving already!"

Silently nodding to this, Michiru followed his two friends up to the prison walls. Once they reached them, he looked up at the towering barrier, as well as the barbed wire that lined the top. "How are we supposed to get in?"

"Not a problem," InuYasha answered gruffly. Without another word, he sheathed the Tetsusaiga and got down on one knee. "You just get on and hold tight!"

"What?" Michiru asked, but when he saw Kagome readily getting onto InuYasha's back, he realized what his friend had in mind. Taking a deep breath, he positioned himself next to her and wrapped his arms about the half-demon's neck. "You sure we aren't too heavy for you, InuYasha?"

"Relax! I'm a demon, remember? A couple of humans are nothing to me!" With that, Kagome and Michiru held on as tight as InuYasha stood and supported them. In the time they had been separated, Michiru had forgotten just how strong the half-demon was; with a slight grunt of effort, he launched himself into the air and landed on top of the wall. And there, they saw firsthand what Ryokage was truly capable of.

"Oh, no…" Kagome gasped, and Michiru was hard-pressed not to do the same. The courtyard surrounding the prison itself was filled with the hideous darkness that Ryokage generated. And within it, they could hear people screaming and guns being fired.

"Michiru!" InuYasha growled as he surveyed the demonic miasma. "You think you can clear the air?"

"Uh, right!" Michiru returned. He then concentrated, summoning forth the power of one of his spirit familiars. "Let's see if this works on this miasma as well as barriers! Oh, overflowing blue sky, clear these storm clouds from my path! Blue Sky Calamity!" With this invocation, a pentagram appeared beneath Michiru, and from it appeared the bird that was his Wind Shikigami. The bird flew forth at the haze of darkness and exploded into a shower of green light that coursed through the fog, dissipating it and blowing it away.

"Good one, Michiru! I -!" Kagome began. Only to suck in a gasp as the Shikigami User's spell completely dissipated Ryokage's cloud of darkness. "Oh, no…!" Michiru gasped as well, bringing his hand to his mouth while InuYasha growled in disgust as they as they looked down on the courtyard…saw nothing but death.

Not wasting a moment, InuYasha leapt down to the courtyard, stooping down just long enough to let the others get off. As he once again drew the Tetsusaiga, Michiru and Kagome looked about the people that lay strewn about the grounds. Or what was left of them.

"What…happened…?" Michiru moaned as he looked at the corpse of what had once been a security guard. Now all there was a shriveled up husk on the verge of collapsing into dust, a look of horror frozen forever on his dead face. One corpse amongst what looked to be at least a dozen.

"Not too hard to figure out what happened here," InuYasha growled disgustedly as he eyed the dead that lay strewn about them. "Ryokage must have drained the evil energies and everything else out of them."

A lump of bile forming in his throat, Michiru backed away from the mutilated corpse. Though he had dealt with both death and the dead more than once on his journey through the past, it was still something that he had not grown used to. And honestly hoped that he never did.

Watching his friends and how they reacted to the carnage, InuYasha looked up at the prison, which was still belching fire and destruction. "Hey, Ryokage! Come on out, you sniveling excuse for a demon!" he howled, his words filled with menace. "Or would you rather I came in there and dragged you out myself?"

"_**Hahahaha! So, the little half-demon and his frail human friends have come to me!**_" came Ryokage's mocking voice, echoing about the prison courtyard. "_**How thoughtful of you to save me the difficulties of hunting down the Jewel Shards myself!**_" 

"You sure talk big for somebody who ran away from us the last time!" Michiru retorted. The taunting, callous voice of Ryokage filling him with anger, rather than terror.

"_**Putrid little Shikigami User! You have no idea the loathing I have for your kind!" **_Ryokage snarled hatefully, seeming to come from everywhere at once._** "It was your fellow wizards that created that miserable prison that held me all these centuries, it was they that created the spell that bound me, and you shall be the one to pay for their crimes!**_"

"It just means that I get to finish the job they started, Ryokage!" Michiru countered, feeling a warm satisfaction in the knowledge of the demon's fear and hatred.

Snorting a small laugh, InuYasha grinned at his friend. "Man, Michiru, you're getting more like me all the time, aren't you?" Somehow managing a smile in return, Michiru focused on the battle that was about to commence. It felt so natural for him as InuYasha hoisted the Tetsusaiga, as Kagome drew and cocked an arrow, as he focused on the power of the spirit familiars that served him so well. This wasn't going to be just a round of practice. Once again, he was going to use his power to fight for what was right.

"_**Get me, will you?**_" Ryokage chortled merrily from wherever it was that he was hiding. "_**First you will have to find me in this place of darkness! Do you honestly think you can before the night consumes you all?**_"

"Maybe we can't…but I know something that _can!_" Kagome declared, channeling her power into the compass that still hung from her neck. As before, the gyroscope-like artifact spun its pointer about before sending out a beam of light that marked a section of blank wall, high up above them. "He's over there!"

"Alright, then! One door, coming up!" InuYasha growled, preparing to launch his Wind Scar.

"No, wait!" Michiru cautioned, halting the half-demon with an outstretched hand. "The Wind Scar is too powerful! You might bring the whole prison down on us!" As InuYasha shot him an annoyed glance, the Shikigami User furrowed his brow. "I'll take care of this! Oh, overflowing blue sky, release the gathering storm! Blue Sky Impact!" The glowing green bird that symbolized Michiru's power over the Wind emerged, forming a cyclone between his hands. The force of wind becoming more intense as he built it even bigger and bigger, he then unleashed it upon the area marked by the compass.

The Blue Sky Impact tore a large hole in the wall, revealing a massive figure standing there. Though they were certain that whoever it was had once been human, it was clear that it was no longer so. Horns sprouted from the creature's head, its mouth was filled with fangs, and beady black pits looked out at them. Tattered remains of what had once been prisoner's clothing hung from the monster's dusky red body, which was roughly twice normal human size, with muscles rippling everywhere.

"_**Ah, you have no idea how delightful this body is, the wicked desires of this human's heart!**_" Ryokage gloated as he looked down upon them. "_**And the evil of the souls in this place fills me with such strength, strength enough to defy the burning light! Was it not thoughtful of the humans to trap such a bounty in this house of evil, all for my pleasure?**_"

"You know, you really ought to spend more time fighting and less time jabbering away!" InuYasha growled. "Wind Scar!" The Tetsusaiga lashed out, sending bands of destruction racing through the air. Ryokage quickly defended himself, generating a barrier of pure darkness with a wave of hand. To their surprise, the barrier easily deflected the bulk of the blast, sending the rest of the Wind Scar slammed into the prison walls. Hunks of stone and masonry exploded into the air, sending a cloud of debris falling down upon the threesome.

"Oh, brightly shining light, give me your healing power! Protective Light!" Michiru invoked, summoning forth a protective bubble. He was barely in time, as a massive chunk of the wall crashed down upon on the shield, shattering on impact.

"_**That is fine sword, half-breed! A pity you cannot use it better!**_" Ryokage gloated. Laughing hideously, the monstrous demon then raised his clawed hands towards the group, launching bolts of pure darkness at Michiru's barrier. Though the Protective Light held up against the darkness, causing to spill away like water off of a duck's back, Michiru still groaned in protest.

_Ugh! I…I can feel it! Even though the Protective Light! _Michiru grimaced. Instantly realizing that this would be no easy fight, he instantly braced himself for renewed assault.

But the attack he'd been expecting didn't occur. Instead, Ryokage grinned evilly at them before retreating further into the prison. His mocking laughter echoing behind him.

"He's running away!" InuYasha snarled hatefully. "Get back here!"

"He's stalling for time!" Kagome realized, looking off into the distance at the fading light. "Waiting for the sun to go down! Then he'll be at full power, and -!"

"That's not gonna happen!" InuYasha snarled, sheathing the Tetsusaiga before bending down to allow Michiru and Kagome to get on his back. Once the two of them were secure, the half-demon launched himself upwards and in through the hole.

Once they were inside, the two humans got off as InuYasha sniffed the air, only to clasp both hands upon his nose, his eyes tearing. "Dammit!" he swore bitterly. "That bastard's stench is _everywhere!_"

Casting a sympathetic look at InuYasha, Michiru then looked at his other friend. "Kagome, can the compass still follow him?"

"No problem!" Kagome replied with a dangerous look. Sure enough, the compass was still projecting its beam, which led up the stairs before them.

"Then let's kill that damned thing already!" InuYasha growled in pain as they once again gave chase. Rushing up the stairs, they soon found themselves in one of the many prison blocks. The place was as silent as a tomb, and with good reason. In every cell they passed, they saw corpses much like the ones they had found outside.

_Nobody deserves to die like this,_ Michiru grimaced as he took in the expressions of terror worn by the dead. _Not even them._

InuYasha was obviously thinking similar thoughts. "Damned fools," he muttered before shaking his head. "C'mon. Let's kill this bastard and get it over with.

Fortunately, the compass continued to lead them unerringly. Going up a few more flights of stairs, encountering more of the dead, they eventually found Ryokage. The dusky monstrosity was holding up one of the prisoners by his shirt. As soon as he spotted them, he let the drained corpse fall to the ground before wiping his mouth.

"_**In such a hurry to die that you sought me in this place where evil is ever-present?**_" Ryokage asked mockingly.

Growly savagely, InuYasha bared the Tetsusaiga, which glinted in what little light shone. "I hope you enjoyed your meal, you bastard! Because it's gonna be your last one!"

"_**You are the ones who are doomed!" **_Ryokage boasted, waves of darkness and his cruel stench wfting towards the odd threesome._** "Night is coming, along with my greatest power! Soon the Shikon Jewel Shards will be mine, along with ultimate power!**_"

"Not if we get rid of you first! Oh, mighty flowing river, cleanse this evil beast! Great River Attrition!" The fish that represented his power of Water emerged from Michiru's feet, summoning a cloud above Ryokage's head. There it erupted into a torrent of water that engulfed the monster in a bubble, drawing out clouds of demonic power from him. "There! Let's see how tough you are now!"

Snarling hatefully, the horrid demon struggled against the water surrounding it. Clawing at it viciously, he loosed several bolts of darkness into the water, until it was overflowing with shadows, blotting him from sight. Finally, the watery prison began boiling, and then exploded into nothingness "_**Puny vermin!**_"Ryokage roared, a whole lot wetter and madder for Michiru's efforts. "_**Do you honestly believe you can strip Ryokage of his power so easily?**_"

"It doesn't matter, because now you're all wet! Oh, furious howling thunder, unleash your wrath! Thunder Break!" This was a new addition to Michiru's Shikigami, the power of Thunder, which manifested in the form of a golden wolf. At his command, it begat a lightning bolt that struck the water that still lay at Ryokage's feet, at which point the beast of darkness learned the hard way that water and electricity simply didn't mix.

Growling as Ryokage cried out in pain, InuYasha readied himself, winds of devastation surrounding the Tetsusaiga. "Now's our chance, Kagome!"

"Right!" Kagome responded, quickly drawing back and firing an arrow at their foe. But the demon had recovered enough from the electric attack to generate another barrier of darkness, which shattered the Sacred Arrow before it even got close.

"Now it's my turn!" InuYasha roared, bringing forth more of the Tetsusaiga's power. Brilliant crimson light washed over the blade as he unleashed the Wind Scar. Again, Ryokage attempted to block the attack with a barrier.

"_**You fools! Do you really – what?**_" With a screech of pure outrage, Ryokage watched in astonishment as the Red Tetsusaiga's power ate through his protective barrier, knocking him backwards. As he tried to make sense of this, he was brought back to the present as InuYasha charged at him, howling his rage as he leapt upwards, bringing the Tetsusaiga down towards his head. Without a second to spare, the cruel beast brought both his hands up and caught the mighty blade between them.

"_**Damn you, half-demon!**_" Ryokage snarled furiously as he rebuffed InuYasha, sending him flying off to the side. "_**You are nothing more than an annoyance to me!**_"

"Wanna bet?" InuYasha grinned as he came to his feet. "Michiru! Kagome! Go!"

"Right!" the two of them responded. Then Michiru clasped his hands together, the Shikigami power surging up around him. "Forces of nature, heed my call! Unleash your power, Shikigami!" With that, his Light Shikigami appeared, carrying with it aspects of the power of his other Shikigami, while Kagome fired her arrow. Ryokage looked up at them just in time to see Kagome's arrow piercing the pentagram upon the dragon's brow, absorbing its full power. Realizing what was about to happen, Ryokage moved to dodge the blow, but was too late as the arrow shot into his right shoulder.

"_**NOOOOOO!**_" Ryokage cried out as his arm disintegrated in a explosion of pure light. "_**You can't stop me! You will all die screaming for this outrage!**_"

"Don't bet on it!" InuYasha growled. Taking advantage of the opening, the half-demon once again launched himself at Ryokage, swinging the Tetsusaiga with all of his strength. The monster of shadows barely had time to look up before the massive fang was buried in his shoulder. Ryokage screeched in pain, struggling against the Tetsusaiga even as InuYasha drove it deeper into his body. With their foe occupied, Michiru and Kagome prepared to follow up on InuYasha's attack…only to be stopped as dark power erupted from the gash the Tetsusaiga had made. Waves of pure darkness lashing out at him, InuYasha looked dumbly at his foe before he and the Tetsusaiga were forced away, sent flying back towards the others.

"Aw, what the hell -?" InuYasha snarled upon recovering. But then he and others looked at Ryokage, and gasped as the darkness that had forced the half-demon back rippled about Ryokage's entire body.

"_**At last, after all these centuries…!**_" Ryokage oozed, grinning evilly. The monstrous demon was coursing with dark power, the evil energies growing even more intense, obscuring his entire body from view. "_**The darkness is rising up, and now I shall rule over all!**_"

A wave of darkness erupted from Ryokage, causing the three of them to shield their faces. "His power…!" Michiru shuddered, feeling as he was being pressed in by the demon's monstrous aura. "It's - it's growing!"

Eyes widening, InuYasha spat, "Michiru! Your Protective Light!"

Michiru responded automatically, invoking the Light Shikigami as fast as he could. Seconds later, the three of them were within the glowing shield, just as Ryokage's power exploded forth like a bomb. The foul dark power pulverized everything around them, the floor beneath them shuddering ominously as Michiru struggled to maintain their sanctuary. Through the darkness, they could vaguely see stone and metal pounding the barrier as the evil storm continued to rage around them.

And then, without warning, the storm ceased. As suddenly as it began, the dark maelstrom ended, leaving nothing but silence. The silence was so forceful after all the screaming destruction that it practically bowled the three of them over. As the Protective Light dissipated, the storm having pushed it to its limits, Michiru and the others looked about their surroundings, and reacted with various expressions of shock.

Most of the prison was completely _gone. _Everything from the walls that had once surrounded them to the floors that had stood above had been obliterated, rendered into dust like the bodies it had once held. The rest of the Maximum Security Prison had suffered greatly, and there was an ominous creaking that signaled that it would not remain standing through much more.

But these were not the things that drew their attention. What had Michiru and Kagome shudder with fear, as well as InuYasha growled menacingly, was dark skies that surrounded them. And the horrendous demon that now hovered before them, grinning wickedly.

"Oh, shit…" InuYasha growled lowly.

"Is that…Ryokage's true form?" Kagome wondered as she studied the monster they had come so close to defeating.

"_**Correct, little priestess!**_" came Ryokage, his voice ten times stronger than before. Every vestige of humanity was now gone; he was now a truly horrendous looking demon, like a massive winged gargoyle, with huge, baleful eyes set against his pitch-black skin. "_**I may have underestimated you before, but such matters no longer concern me! I'll have both the Shikon Jewel Shards and your flesh and bones for dinner!**_"

With that, Ryokage opened his massive maw and let loose a blast of dark lightning. Swearing beneath his breath, InuYasha scooped up both Kagome and Michiru and leapt out into the sky. He was just in time, for the blast slammed into what remained of the prison, splitting it like an overripe melon. The shockwave from the blast slammed into the three of them, sending them tumbling through the air. While the two humans cried out in sudden fear, InuYasha growled fiercely as he struggled to recover his balance.

With a supreme effort, InuYasha managed the impossible, and landed safely on the rough sand of the coast, keeping the force of the impact from translating through his body to hit his more frail companions. As he released Michiru and Kagome, both of them still shaken from the blast, InuYasha turned to glare hatefully at Ryokage. "You sure spend a lot of time talking!" he sneered, holding up the Tetsusaiga. "Now let's see if you can back it up!"

"_**Fools! Now that the night fills me with its might, as well as the evil of the souls I've fed upon, you are nothing to me! Nothing!**_" Ryokage roared, and with that spat out the most massive blast yet. A ball of black destruction that filled the sky and swirled dangerously as it surged down towards them.

"I was waiting for you to do that!" InuYasha grinned as he swung the Tetsusaiga. "Take this! Backlash Wave!" Once again, the massive fang lashed out, its power coiling about Ryokage's blast and sending it right back at him. InuYasha grinned in apparent victory as the Backlash Wave slammed into the demonic abomination…only to have gape in disbelief as the mighty blast washed harmlessly over him like a simple summer rain.

"_What?_" InuYasha barked, unable to believe his own eyes.

"_**Little worms! Darkness is my friend!**_" Ryokage sneered mockingly "_**Did you honestly think you could harm me with it?**_"

As InuYasha and Kagome looked at the massive demon, much of their hope blown away, Michiru clenched his fist in determination. _So…I guess only light will be able to stop him,_ he frowned, knowing what he had to do. Clasping his hands together, he began to work his most powerful spell. "Oh, brightly shining light, hear my prayers and grant me your power! Light of Judgment!"

"Michiru! No!" Kagome screamed as Michiru wreaked his ultimate, his Light Shikigami appearing once again. Surging up into the sky, it exploded into a wave of destructive light that turned night into day. Before he realized what was happening, Ryokage was awash in pure destructive power. The monster howled in agony as the light poured down upon, searing his skin and tearing into his wings, sending him to crash down into the waters below.

However, even as Ryokage floated in the waters, groaning in pain, Michiru's eyes rolled back into his head. With a moan of utter exhaustion, he collapsed as well. "You idiot! I told you _not_ to use that attack!" InuYasha howled as he grabbed his friend. Wrapping his arm about the Shikigami User's frame, he stood him back up as the lingering light of the spell faded, night returning once again. "Hey! Hey! Don't you _dare_ pass out on me!"

For a moment, InuYasha was certain that it would be no use. But to his surprise, Michiru's eyes fluttered open, and he slowly looked up at him. "I'm…I'm okay, InuYasha," he murmured, shaking his head free of cobwebs as he found his feet. "I…I still have some energy left. Just got…a little dizzy, that's all."

"That's a relief," Kagome breathed.

"Well, I guess your training paid off," InuYasha stated gruffly, releasing Michiru once he was satisfied that he wouldn't fall down again. "Used to be that attack totally wiped you out!"

"One of the benefits of training, I guess," Michiru muttered absently. "I read some stuff from the Kururugi Shrine on how to maximize your power. I haven't gotten that far yet, but…" Then he finally snapped back to full awareness, and groaned as he looked out at their foe. "Oh, no…"

The others looked as well, and saw what their friend had seen. Though he stunned and badly injured by the light, Ryokage was still alive, and already recovering from the Light of Judgment. "InuYasha, we have to finish him off now! If he burns out his host…" Kagome exclaimed, dreading the thought of this battle repeating itself elsewhere.

Snarling as he raised the Tetsusaiga once more, InuYasha cast a glance back at his friend. "Michiru, you think you've got enough strength left for one last attack?"

"Just…barely," Michiru told them somewhat haggardly. "What've you got in mind?"

"I think it's time to introduce Ryokage to the move that brought down Naraku!" InuYasha declared. "Kagome, fire an arrow at Ryokage's heart! We'll use it to relay the Shikigami Backlash Wave!"

"Right!" With that, Kagome prepared one of her arrows, straining to make this shot perfect. Channeling all of her spiritual power into this one attack.

"Let's make this attack work, 'cause if doesn't, I'm down for the count!" Michiru told them, utterly serious as he brought his hands together and invoked his spirit familiars. "Forces of nature, heed my call! Unleash your power, Shikigami!" With that, the Light Shikigami emerged, carrying with it aspects of the power of his other Shikigami, as InuYasha leapt up and was absorbed into the maelstrom of light. With the Shikigami power infusing the Tetsusaiga, allowing it to draw upon all of the power that could be brought together for one all-out assault.

"Fight off this! Backlash Wave!" InuYasha snarled as he swung the Tetsusaiga, releasing a massive cyclone of torrential light straight at Ryokage. As the power leapt out across the water, Kagome fired her arrow, drawing the Shikigami Backlash Wave along its path.

Still recovering from the Light of Judgment, Ryokage looked up just in time to watch helplessly as the arrow guided the full force of their power straight and true into him "_**NOOOO!**_" the demon howled as his body was pulverized from the inside-out by the forces they had unleashed. "_**How can a half-demon and two weak humans defeat me?**_" With one last whimper, Ryokage disintegrated away, naught but dust floating in the air.

"Well, that's that!" InuYasha growled with satisfaction, sheathing the Tetsusaiga as the wind slowly dispelled the stench of Ryokage's destruction. "Hey, Michiru, you okay?"

Sighing with exhaustion as sweat rolled down his face, his knees buckling beneath him as he fell to the ground, Michiru looked at his friends and sighed. "I'll be okay…as long as I don't actually have to move..."

"You must be exhausted," Kagome said sympathetically. "InuYasha…"

"Relax, I've got him," InuYasha replied gruffly as he hefted Michiru onto his back and carried him piggyback-style. "Still, I've gotta admit, you were pretty impressive, Michiru. Hard to believe you were once that weak little pain in the butt I found in the forest!"

"I had to toughen up in a big hurry," Michiru murmured as they moved along.

* * *

Author's Notes: Well, Ryokage sure was a tough customer! And writing this battle was tough, too! Sure hope everybody liked it! Please, read and review!

Now that InuYasha and company have triumphed, there's still the nasty business of the wrecked prison, the dead inmates, and Michiru _still_ not having any clue as to how to return to the Feudal Era. You think their new ally might be able to point him in the right direction? For the answer to that question, check out the next chapter!


	4. Plans for the Future

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Chapter 4: Plans for the Future

Wincing as a loud, unfamiliar noise filled his sensitive ears, InuYasha looked up into the skies above, trying to spot the source. Within moments, the half-demon caught sight of a beam of light stabbing down at the ground. A beam of light that was moving closer to their general position. As he narrowed his eyes at the strange thing, Kagome hissed out, "Oh, great! Looks like we've got company!"

"What is it, Kagome?" InuYasha growled, perfectly aware of how bad their position was. They were still fairly close to the shattered remnants of Jinnai Maximum Security Prison, having made their way along the rocky surf until they had finally found a section of cliff that looked safe enough for him to climb while carrying both Michiru and Kagome on his back. And even then, the ascent had been difficult at best; the cliff face was composed of jutting stone with few potential foot and handholds, and would have been difficult to scale even unencumbered. With Michiru completely drained by battle, he was barely able to keep his grip on InuYasha, even with Kagome's assistance. Forcing InuYasha to move slowly, and with a great deal more caution than he would have normally.

Glancing over his shoulder at the good friend that clung to him for dear life, InuYasha then looked back up at the unidentified craft. "Must be a police helicopter," Kagome muttered tersely, tightening her grip on both Michiru and InuYasha. "It's probably heading towards the prison. To find out what happened."

_Which means that it's not heading our way,_ InuYasha realized, narrowing his eyes in determination. _At least, not yet._ Still, he knew that they couldn't afford to waste any more time in getting away from there. For if there were people searching the prison, then it was all too likely that even more coming to search for any surviving prisoners or prison personnel. And even though he knew that there were no survivors, there was still a danger that they could be spotted. Something he knew his modern friends couldn't afford to have happen.

Considering the situation, InuYasha glanced back at the Kururugi boy clinging to him. "Michiru, how are you holding up?"

Taking in the sight of the wan expression of friend, a face that was taut with strain and exhaustion, the half-demon watched as he managed a weary smile. "I'm…I'll be fine, InuYasha," Michiru told him. "Just…we better get going."

Despite the fact that he knew Michiru was more drained than he let on, InuYasha knew he couldn't afford to waste time. While he wasn't afraid for himself, he knew that the lives and livelihoods of his human friends would be imperiled if their abilities became common knowledge. So after taking a moment to make sure that his grip remained secure, as well as Kagome's grip on them both, the half-demon continued his ascent, caution foremost in his thoughts as they slowly made their up.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the unlikely trio reached the top, and were soon back amongst the towering buildings of Tokyo. "Whew. I was beginning to think that we'd _never _make it back!" Kagome grumbled as they made their way into a dark alley. There she helped Michiru off of InuYasha's back, and then eased Michiru down to sit against a building. Mopping her brow, she then looked at her half-demon friend. "Any sign that the police spotted us?"

"Eh, doesn't look like it," InuYasha grumbled, looking up at the sky. "Those giant metal wasps of yours are still hovering over there."

"Helicopters…actually," Michiru corrected his friend. While InuYasha grunted dismissively, the Kururugi boy went on. "I wonder how they're going to explain what happened there?"

"I don't know," Kagome admitted. "I'm just glad that there isn't anything left of Ryokage…or the people there." Kikyo's reincarnation shook her head sadly at this. "I don't even want to think how their families would react to…what happened to them."

Family. That was a concept that was more-or-less foreign to InuYasha. He had virtually no memories of his father, his half-brother Sesshomaru was a lethal assassin that would kill him and his friends, and his mother…

Wincing at this, at a memory of loss that had been branded into his very soul when he had still been a small boy, InuYasha did his best to force his mind elsewhere. "Just so long as they stay over there," he growled beneath his breath. Then he heard a beeping sound, and looked over at Kagome, only to frown as he saw the cell phone in her hand. "What are you doing?"

"I'm calling Wyvern to pick us up," Kagome answered as she finished dialing. "Remember? He told us to call him so he could pick us up after the battle." Then she gave the half-demon a sarcastic look before adding, "Besides, we're a lot less likely to be spotted in a car than if we're being carted around on your back across half the city."

Not even wasting the time to try to think of a comeback to this, InuYasha nodded. "Right, right. Good…" Before he could complete his sentence, the silver-maned warrior's mind went blank…just before he stamped his foot on the ground. "Aw, _dammit!"_

Sitting up a bit straighter, Michiru looked up at his friend. "InuYasha?" he asked meekly as the half-demon snarled and expressed his sudden anger. "InuYasha, what is it?"

"Wyvern!" InuYasha spat, swinging his eyes about to meet Kagome's and Michiru's eyes. "With everything that happened, we forgot to grab his Jewel Shard!"

Stifling a gasp of annoyance or surprise, InuYasha couldn't tell which, Kagome brought her cell phone up to her head. "We'll deal with it later. For now, all I want to do is get back home. Preferably before something else goes wrong!" When he snorted at this, the reborn priestess gave him an apologetic look. "Look, I'm sorry, InuYasha, but we'll have to forget about it for now." Smiling hopefully, she added, "We'll ask Wyvern about it later, okay? Maybe we can work something out with him."

_Yeah, right. And since when has getting a Jewel Shard ever been _that_ easy?_ InuYasha demanded inwardly. Despite his ire, however, he knew Kagome had a valid point. The welfare of his friends was his primary concern, and it would be a while before Michiru was able to move about without assistance after that battle. So he contented himself to wait as Kagome advised Wyvern as to their status and location, venting as best as he could with his pacing and grumblings.

A few minutes later, InuYasha heard a car approaching, and saw headlights cutting through the night. His anger and impatience momentarily forgotten, the half-demon advanced through the alley, careful to stay within the shadows. When he finally reached the edge of the darkness, he halted, his hand on Tetsusaiga's hilt. Glancing back at his friends, he saw them tensing, completely alert and as ready as could be expected.

"Is it Wyvern?" Kagome wondered, her voice just above a whisper.

"I'll find out," InuYasha returned gruffly. Looking back towards the approaching car, he watched as it drew steadily closer. Until at last it drew to a halt and the driver's side door opened, revealing a familiar figure.

"Kagome?" Wyvern called out as he looked aimlessly about the darkness. A moment later, a flashlight lit up in his hand, the beam of which was soon waving this way and that. "Kagome, are you here? Michiru? InuYasha?"

"We're right here!" InuYasha growled, grumbling inwardly about how long it had taken the American to get around to mentioning him.

"Whew! Am I glad to see you!" Kagome announced as she came closer. "Did anybody follow you?"

Shaking his head, Wyvern answered, "No, but I did have some trouble getting here. The police are setting up barricades all over the area." He then jerked his thumb at his car. "We better hurry. The longer it takes to get away from here, the more likely we're run into more trouble!"

"Yeah, tell us something we don't already know!" Releasing his hold of the Tetsusaiga, InuYasha gruffly stomped his way back over to Michiru's side. "C'mon! We have to get moving!"

Giving a shaky nod to this, Michiru tensed as he started to rise. "R-right," he answered, the strain of moving clear on his face as he carefully braced himself up. But before he could make any real attempt to stand, he found InuYasha's arm under his shoulder. In one easy motion, the half-demon hoisted the Shikigami User to his feet.

"I gotcha, Michiru! Don't strain yourself!" InuYasha told him. Giving his friend a moment to collect himself, the two of them started forward, with the half-demon making sure that his friend remained stable with every step.

"InuYasha…" Kagome muttered disapprovingly. From the sound of her voice, the half-demon was momentarily wary; that particular tone was frequently followed by him being smashed right into the ground. To his relief, however, she instead sighed wearily before going on ahead to the waiting car. "Wyvern, get the door open."

"Uh, right! Of course!" In a moment, Wyvern had the back door open, and as soon as InuYasha and Michiru came up to it, Kagome assisted the Shikigami User as he stumbled his way inside. Once the half-demon had joined his friends, Wyvern got back behind the wheel and started the car.

"Here we go, everyone," Wyvern muttered as he back the car out of the alley. "Just be sure to keep your heads down…and hope that we don't run into the police on the way out of here." InuYasha looked over at his friends, who winced somewhat. The half-demon growled deep in his throat, for while he didn't believe overly much in fates and fortunes and what-not, he knew that now was not the time to risk jinxing themselves.

Fortunately enough, it seemed that the fates weren't to be tempted that night. Wyvern quickly navigated the streets leading away from the shattered prison, and even though they spotted red and blue lights flashing several times, and the sound of the awful sirens that the police used hit InuYasha's ears more than once, but before long, all these things faded away as they left the coastal area behind.

At last, and none too soon for InuYasha's taste, Wyvern finally announced, "You all can sit up now. I haven't seen any police for about ten miles now."

"About time!" InuYasha grumbled, sitting up immediately. Kagome was somewhat slower to do so, and even peeked about before rising up completely. As for Michiru, he groaned in protest as sitting up, and when he did so, he slumped back on his seat in obvious relief. "How about you, Michiru? You okay?"

"Me? I'll be okay," Michiru muttered wearily. "More tired than anything else. That battle…"

"Heh. I heard _that!_" InuYasha grinned. He knew full well the toll that the Light of Judgment spell took on his friend; the fact that Michiru had remained conscious and even in the battle was a testimony to how much stronger he had become in the months since he had journeyed with them. "I don't know about you, but I sure could use something to eat."

Frowning at this, Kagome glowered at the half-demon. "InuYasha! How can you think of food at a time like this?" InuYasha opened his mouth to counter her…only to be cut off by a loud gurgle of hunger that sounded between the two of them.

As one, both reborn priestess and half-demon looked at Michiru, whose cheeks were currently burning. "Uh…" the Shikigami User muttered, his voice rife with humiliation. "I guess it's…pretty easy." Then he gave Kagome a rueful look before adding, "Especially when you're starving…"

As the three of them looked amongst themselves, Wyvern chuckled, smiling helplessly. "Well, Kagome, I'd say you're outvoted in this matter. And given the circumstances, I'd say it's perfectly understandable." Glancing over his shoulder at them, the American asked, "I don't suppose your folks would mind if we stopped at a noodle shop or something for a bite?"

"Of course not. I…" Kagome began, but broke off when Michiru groaned, smacking himself on the face. "Michiru, what is it?"

"I-I'm sorry, Kagome, but…I just remembered…" Michiru muttered, shaking his head as he spoke. "My family…I told them that I would be back this afternoon. With everything that's happened, I forgot, but…they're probably worried sick by now!"

Her brow furrowed, Kagome looked hard at Michiru. "You mean you haven't told them about your powers or any of that?"

"Of course not!" Michiru grumbled. "I mean…when was I sent back to the Feudal Era, I came back home at the exact moment I left, so I never had to explain anything!" His expression becoming downcast, the Kururugi boy added, "Not that I'd even know how to explain all of _this _to them…"

Frowning, InuYasha looked up at Kagome. Though there was much he didn't understand about the modern world and the people that populated it, he did understand much about difficult secrets, as well as the terror that a person could feel of those things ever being revealed. At the price those secrets could ultimately demand. Even as he thought these things, Kagome nodded. "I know what you mean," she murmured gently. "I remember when I first wound up in the Feudal Era. If Sota hadn't seen the demon that dragged me down the Well, I don't know how I would have ever explained what happened to either Mom or Grandpa when I got back." Narrowing her eyes in thought, she studied Michiru for a time, as if trying to figure out the best thing to do. "Wait…when you got permission to go out with us today, what exactly did you tell them?"

"Only that I'd be going to the civic center with some friends," Michiru answered. "Why?"

"Well, then, why don't you call them? Tell them that things ran late at the civic center?" Kagome offered.

"Or better yet, you could tell them that you were forcibly delayed as a result of the…incident there," Wyvern offered. "I don't doubt that the events surrounding Ryokage's rampage there have already been aired on the evening news."

Michiru turned several shades paler at this. "Oh, no, that's right! I didn't even think about that, but…if they heard about that, then they must be going out of their minds right now!" Newly energized, the Shikigami quickly got out his cell phone. "I better call them, let them know I'm alright!"

"Good idea," Kagome murmured while Michiru hurriedly dialed his phone. "I just hope you don't get in any trouble because of this."

"Same here," Michiru admitted somberly as his phone buzzed.

* * *

_I don't believe this,_ Michiru thought as he listened to his cell phone ring over and over again. Dreading the sound of his parents' unhappy glares more than he did a demon's attack.

Before his adventure back in the Feudal Era, Michiru had read plenty of _shonin_ and Western comics, and had seen the very situation he was now in more than once. The hero, having defeated the Villain of the Month, would be forced to deal with the consequences of having a secret identity, and make up some outrageous story to tell his friends and family to explain why he or she wasn't around or was late or whatever. And while Michiru had given quite a bit of thought to how he would explain his lengthy disappearance over the course of his adventure, he had absolutely no idea how he was going to get out of this particular situation without being grounded at least until he was ready to go to college.

_The really pathetic part is, I used to think those scenes were funny._ Frowning over the fact that the proverbial shoe was now on the other foot, Michiru almost jumped out of his skin when he heard someone on the other end pick up. Keyed up because of exhaustion and residual adrenaline, he sputtered out, "Uh, hi! Um -!"

"Bro! Is that you?" Wincing at Kaname's panicked voice, the male Kururugi twin tried to speak before she cut him off. "Where the heck _are you?_ Are you at the hospital? What's going on? I -!"

"Sis, please!" Michiru cut in, suppressing the urge to put his hand over the phone speaker. "I'm okay, really! I...are Mom and Dad there?"

"Yeah, they're here! But, bro, what's going on?" Kaname demanded. "According to the news, half the civic center got blown to blazes! And we just heard that this prison on the coast was _completely destroyed!_ Mom and Dad have already called the police to see if they could find you, and they said they were too busy! They -!"

"The police? They called the _police?"_ Glancing unhappily at his friends, Michiru cleared his throat before speaking again. "Uh, look, Kaname? Could you get Mom or Dad and put 'em on? I think I better clear up a few things."

His sister gave a sharp laugh at this. "Bro, that is the understatement of the century!" Somehow conveying the image of her ruefully shaking her head over the line, Kaname then told him, "Okay, just give me a second."

"Okay. I'll be right here," Michiru returned. Then he placed his hand over the receiver, glanced at his friends, and said, "This isn't looking good…"

"Yeah, I got _that _idea!" InuYasha muttered gruffly while Kagome gave him a smile of purest sympathy.

A few seconds passed before another voice was heard. "Michiru! Is that you?"

"Uh, hi, Dad. It's me," Michiru confirmed, having no idea of what else to say just then.

"Thank goodness! Are you alright?" the Kururugi matriarch asked, his voice carrying with it concern and control.

"Uh, yeah! I'm…I'm fine! Really!" Michiru told him, trying very hard not to sound drained and battle-wearied. Shifting nervously in his seat, he then asked, "I…I guess you heard about the civic center, huh?"

"How could I _not _know? It's been on just about every channel for the past hour!" Mr. Kururugi exclaimed. "Half the building was wrecked in some kind of explosion. The police are still trying to make sense of what happened there!" A beat passed before he spoke again. "What about you, son? Were you there when…?"

"No! No, I wasn't there. I…I didn't even see what happened," Michiru lied, wishing he was as skilled at that as Miroku was. "My friends…we were at a restaurant when it happened, and…well, things have been kind of crazy since then. I…"

"Wait. Hold on, Michiru. Your mother wants to talk to you," Mr. Kururugi told him. "Here you go."

"Thank you," came the voice of Michiru's mother. Then a weary sigh escaped her lips as she said, "Thank goodness you're alright, Michiru! When…when we heard about the civic center, we…!"

"I…I'm sorry, Mom. Really," Michiru told her. With a load of guilt settling down upon his shoulders, he told her what he had just finished telling his father. "Anyway, I'm sorry I didn't call you before now. But with the police all over the place, I…things have been pretty crazy in the past couple hours. And I…"

"I know, I know," Mrs. Kururugi assured him. "I don't know if you've heard about this, but…the Jinnai Maximum Security Prison…it was just destroyed."

"Yeah, I heard about that," Michiru answered. Then, deciding to try and act more like a normal teenager, he asked, "But…does anyone know how it happened? All I heard was that there was an explosion or something, and…"

"It's a lot more complicated than that," Mrs. Kururugi reported somberly. "The police have cordoned off the entire area, and the governor has declared a state of emergency."

"She…she _has?"_ Michiru gaped. While he wasn't surprised by this, he was taken aback by how quickly this had gone into effect.

"I'm afraid so," Mrs. Kururugi confirmed sadly. "Michiru, where exactly are you? Can you get back home before 9:00?"

After a moment's thought, Michiru shook his head. "Uh, no. No," he replied. "But…why? What happens at 9:00?"

"The governor has put a curfew in effect," Mrs. Kururugi told him. "The police are on full alert for whoever or whatever destroyed the prison, so they have ordered that everyone has to be off the streets by 9:00." The Kururugi matriarch sighed lowly before adding, "Anybody caught breaking curfew will be arrested. Possibly even charged and fined."

His eyes going wide, Michiru slumped back into his seat, bringing his hand to his forehead. _Oh, man. I knew this was a mess, but this…!_ he thought somberly. Looking up at his friends, he pressed his lips together, considering the matter for a moment before speaking. "I…I understand. Listen, could you hold for a moment?"

"What is it? What's going on?" InuYasha demanded as Michiru placed his hand on the receiver.

As quickly as he could, Michiru relayed what his parents had told them. "There's no way I'll be able to get back home before 9:00, even if we head there right now! The shrine's too far away. And if we go there, then I don't see how you could get back home before the curfew," he informed his friends. "Kagome, I…I really hate to ask you this, but…do you think it would be okay if I stayed over at your place? Just for tonight?"

"Of course it will be okay!" Kagome told him, acting somewhat annoyed that he even had to ask. "Whew! I knew that battle was a nightmare, but…a curfew?"

"Yeah. I knew this world of yours was crazy, but this is too much!" InuYasha muttered.

Deciding not to waste time saying anything about that, and knowing that keeping his mother on hold for much longer would certainly be ill-advised, Michiru took his hand off the receiver. "Uh, Mom? Sorry, but…I was just talking to one of my friends. And…well, would it be okay if I spent the night with them?"

"Your friends?" Mrs. Kururugi repeated, her displeasure clear. "Uh…I don't know. Michiru…are you _sure _you can't get back before 9:00?"

"I'm sorry, Mom," Michiru answered. "Believe me, I would if I could. But…"

A deep sigh was heard on the other end of the line, and was followed by indistinct conversation. Realizing that his parents were discussing the situation, Michiru contented himself to wait. And so he did, until at last his father's voice was heard. "Michiru…are your friends with you right now?" A puzzled noise echoing in his throat, Michiru needed a moment's thought before he was able make a sound of confirmation. "Could you put him or her on the line for me?"

"Uh…okay…" Frowning pensively, Michiru looked over at Kagome, and held out the phone. "Um…Kagome? My dad wants to talk to you."

"Your dad wants to…" Kagome started before she broke off, her mouth hanging open. After taking a moment to recover, the raven-haired girl shrugged and took the phone. "Okay." Placing it to her ear, she smiled and said, "Uh, hi, Mr. Kururugi. This is Kagome Higurashi." Michiru couldn't make out the conversation that then took place. All he could hear was Kagome making brief responses, like 'yes, sir, no sir, okay', and similar talk. And his father's words were too muted for him to make out at all. All he knew was that, after what felt like forever, she handed back the phone. "Here."

"Uh, thanks," Michiru replied. Half-tempted to ask her if his father was angry or something else, he instead put the phone back to his ear. "Dad?"

"Michiru…normally I wouldn't allow you to stay out like this," Mr. Kururugi began somberly. "However, given the circumstances, I can't think of anything better to do. So you can stay at the Higurashi Shrine tonight, but only under two conditions." The Kururugi patriarch paused, as if letting tension build up. "The first is that you call us as soon as you get there, and in the morning when you're ready for me to pick you up."

"Okay," Michiru nodded. "And…the other condition?"

"That you try not to get yourself into even _more _trouble between now and tomorrow morning," Mr. Kururugi said, this time with a bit of humor to his words. "Your mother and I have had a bad enough time, worrying about whether or not you were still alive. I refuse to put up with another day of that!"

Unable to help himself, Michiru chuckled. It was just like his father to set up him up for a laugh such as that. "Sure thing, Dad. I promise, I'll call you as soon as I get to Kagome's place."

"Very good, son," Mr. Kururugi answered. "In which case, I guess I'll hear from you fairly soon."

"Sure will, Dad. And tell Mom and Kaname that I'll be home as soon as possible," Michiru replied. When his father assured him that he would, the Shikigami User broke the connection and closed his phone. "Whew!" he sighed, once again relaxing in the car seat. "That's a relief!"

"What'd your old man say, Michiru?" InuYasha wondered. "Can you stay over with us?"

Nodding, Michiru answered, "I have to admit, he took it a lot better than I thought. Though I get the feeling that Kaname's going to have a _lot _of questions when I get back tomorrow."

"Kaname?" Kagome repeated blankly.

"My twin sister," Michiru replied. "I think I mentioned her a few times back in the Feudal Era, and…"

"Yeah, that's right. You did," InuYasha confirmed. "Remember, Kagome? When we first got to Kaede's Village?"

"Oh, right! I remember now!" Kagome confirmed. "Shippo came out disguised as me, and you thought that we were twins as well!"

Nodding, Michiru relaxed as the memories rolled back into his mind. "Yeah…it sure has been a while."

As the three of them looked amongst themselves, thinking of times past, their pleasant moment was disrupted by the sound of someone's throat clearing. "Um, excuse me. I do hate to interrupt, but I feel as if I should bring up a few key points," Wyvern commented. "First of all, if what you said is correct, and that a curfew is in effect, then we cannot waste any time in getting to your home. The second is that…I have no idea of where exactly your home _is._"

Her eyes popping open, Kagome returned, "Oh, you're right! I forgot! Here, let me give you the address."

As soon as Kagome relayed the specific information, Wyvern nodded. "Good. We should be able to get there in plenty of time, but that's not the only thing we need to discuss," he informed them. "While your mother gave me the rough details as to who you all are, it seems that there's still a good deal that I still don't know. And that I would very much like to learn. Like, for starters, what it was that you were doing at my signing to begin with?"

The three of them looked hard at Wyvern, then at each other. "Oh, right," Kagome murmured, a drop of sweat rolling down her head. "Um, actually…"

"Actually, that's just fine with us," InuYasha grumbled, his words sharp with annoyance. "As a matter of fact, there's a few things we wanted to talk to you about as well."

"I suspected as much," Wyvern replied. "In which case, why don't we start discussing them? It's not as if we don't have the time."

Frowning pensively, Kagome looked at her friends for a time before eventually sighing. "Well…okay. I guess you deserve that much," she finally decided. "But do you mind if I called home first? I think I should tell Mom and Grandpa that we're going to have a lot of company tonight." Then she gave the two boys a rueful look and added, "I better warn Mom to have dinner ready while I'm at it, too." As if in response to Kagome's words, Michiru's stomach once again sounded, this time louder than before. "Maybe I should ask her to have plenty of food ready, too."

"Uh…thanks, Kagome," Michiru replied, his cheeks burning once more.

* * *

It wasn't long before Kagome managed to explain the situation to her mother. As she expected, Mrs. Higurashi was more than happy to prepare food and lodgings for her unexpected guests. And once she was done with that, she helped Michiru and InuYasha give Wyvern a brief explanation as to who they were, what they did, their connection to the Feudal Era and the danger they had faced there.

When the three of them finished their narrative, Wyvern wore a face of consummate delight on his face, one that virtually glowed in the rearview mirror. "So…let me see if I have this straight," Wyvern the American finally said. "InuYasha is half-demon from Feudal Japan. Kagome is the reincarnation of a priestess from that time. Michiru is a magican capable of manipulating Shikigami, and the three of you travel between this time and the Feudal Era, via a magical well?"

"They can. I can't," Michiru corrected Wyvern, still feeling somewhat sore on that subject. "The magic that brought me together with my friends is long gone."

Whether Wyvern failed to notice the angst in Michiru's voice or was simply ignoring it, Kagome couldn't tell. Nor was she given the chance to ask, for the author then asked, "And the reason you came to my signing was because…you were hoping to learn more about the Shikon Jewel Shards?"

"That's right," Kagome replied with a nod, surprised that Wyvern was taking this all so well. Then she reminded herself that he had born witness to an actual demon, as well as the destruction that it had caused. "We haven't been able to find any of them since we defeated Naraku. We were hoping that we'd find out something at the signing or from your book that would help us track them down."

"I see," Wyvern nodded. "So the legend of the Sacred Jewel of Four Souls is true?" A grin of delight was seen spreading itself across his face in the rearview mirror. "Then my research was correct! It wasn't just a legend! The Shikon Jewel and its powers were all real! Amazing! Absolutely _amazing!"_

Worried about Wyvern's sudden enthusiasm, Kagome cleared her throat sharply. "And that's…not all." Glancing over at InuYasha, at the impatient scowl decorating his face, Kagome sighed before making the leap. "While we were at the signing, we…noticed that you had some…special artifacts on display. Including…a _real_ Sacred Jewel Shard."

Kagome watched as Wyvern's eyes went wide in his rearview mirror. "Wait…you mean that…the Shard that was encased in amber? It's actually _genuine_?" Visibly startled by this revelation, Wyvern shook his head slowly. "If that's the case, then it's a good thing that it was encased in the amber. If Ryokage had been able to claim it for himself..."

"I know. We probably wouldn't have been able to stop him if that had happened," Kagome admitted. InuYasha opened his mouth to protest, but before he could say anything, Michiru stopped him with a meaningful look. As the half-demon scowled, Kagome continued, "Listen, I know that I'm asking you a lot, but…"

When Kagome trailed off, the silence left in her wake spoke volumes. "You want the Jewel Shard, don't you," Wyvern spoke in a way that showed that he wasn't asking a question. When Kagome nodded slowly, the author seemed to consider her. "And if I don't give to you, what then? Are you planning on stealing it from me?"

"And what if we are?" InuYasha responded before the others could stop him. "It's not like it's doing you any good, just sitting around in a glass case!"

Turning to glare at the half-demon, Kagome found herself wishing that they weren't in a car. There was no way she could afford to 'sit' him right through the car floor. "InuYasha…!"

"That might be, InuYasha," Wyvern admitted, heedless of Kagome's glare. "Still, I disapprove of theft. Especially when there are much better ways of getting what you want."

"Yeah? Like what?" InuYasha growled.

The American cocked his head to the side, seeming to consider that for a moment before he finally said, "Well, you _could_ try saying something like, 'Mr. Wyvern, could you please give us your Sacred Jewel Shard'?"

The silence that followed this statement was deafening, leaving Kagome unable to do anything but look about at the others. As a result, she was treated to the rare sight of InuYasha with his mouth and eyes wide open, dumbstruck and utterly silent. Smiling in relief, the reborn priestess took that look and filed it permanently in her memories before looking up at the American. "Mr. Wyvern, could you please give us your Sacred Jewel Shard?"

Wyvern smiled warmly at this. "Why of course, Lady Kagome. The truth is, you'd be doing me an immense favor by taking it off my hands."

Again, the three of them looked amongst themselves. "We will?" Michiru asked perplexedly.

"I'm not deaf. I heard Ryokage back in the civic center, after he woke up. I know that it was your Jewel Shards that gave him the strength he needed to escape. And it seems to me that such an artifact is far too dangerous to simply tote around just anyplace," Wyvern stated brightly. This time, it was Kagome who flushed with humiliation as she looked down at the bottle of shards that still hung from her neck. "Besides, as you said before, InuYasha, it's not doing me any good to hold on to it." He then glanced down at the clock that sat well in view of them, he then said, "And seeing as we still have half an hour before 9:00, I think we can safely stop at the civic center and collect the Shard before we have to head for your home."

If anything, the three of them were even more surprised by this statement. And thus were silent when Wyvern asked, "So…is anybody up for a quick stop at the civic center? Because I suspect that, the sooner we secure that particular artifact, the better we'll all feel."

"Heh! You got _that_ right!" InuYasha declared, baring his fangs in a smug grin.

Frowning pensively, Kagome turned to the half-demon. "InuYasha, I'm not sure this is a good idea. If we get caught out after curfew, it'll mean big trouble."

His grin immediately turning upside down, the half-demon promptly exploded. "What, are you _kidding me, _Kagome?" InuYasha demanded, his expression a cross between furious snarl and incredulous glare. "Just how often have we had someone willing to actually _give us a Jewel Shard?_ You're really gonna pass this up?"

"I'm not saying that," Kagome replied, holding her hands up before her. "But don't you think this can wait until tomorrow? It's not like people in this world care too much about the Shikon Jewel."

"But I bet they care about some fancy piece of junk some rich guy keeps in his collection!" InuYasha declared. "I've seen enough of this crazy world of yours to know that there are still plenty of thieves and bandits running here! And if you think I'm gonna give some lowlife bastard a chance to develop sticky fingers, than you're out of your mind!"

Her features tightening at this valid point, Kagome tried again. "But, InuYasha, the civic center's guarded! I'm sure that the police will be keeping an eye on things!"

"Perhaps, Kagome, but I'd really feel better getting the Jewel Shard back and into your hands as quickly as possible," Wyvern broke in before InuYasha could do more than open his mouth to counter her. "Besides, and as much as I hate to admit it, there's always a chance that sticky fingers might show up. Even on the hands of the police."

_Oh, great! You're taking _his _side?_ Kagome thought, immediately annoyed. Something that was made even worse by the smug look of triumph that was currently adoring InuYasha's face. _As if he isn't insufferable enough!_ Groaning deep in her throat, she looked up at the author. "Maybe, but I still don't like it. We've already had enough trouble tonight." Glancing over at the other person there, she asked, "What about you, Michiru? What do you think?"

The worn Shikigami User heaved a deep, weary breath, his eyes flitting about as he considered this question. "I'm sorry, Kagome, but I have to agree with them on this," he finally admitted. "We've already seen the damage even one Jewel Shard can do, and with all the horror stories you've told me about them, I think it'd be best if we got this one back as fast as we can."

Gasping in disbelief at this clear lack of common sense from someone she would have expected to know better, Kagome grumbled, "But the Jewel Shard is still encased in amber! It's perfectly safe!"

"For now, maybe. But that doesn't mean someone can't pick it up and hack the Jewel Shard out later!" InuYasha grumbled. "Look, Kagome! The more time we waste debating this, the less time we have to get the Shard and get back before this stupid curfew of yours!"

"First of all, it's not my curfew! And second…!" Kagome began, only to groan in disgust. She was outnumbered, and neither Miroku nor Sango were there to help her hammer some common sense into the thick skulls of the others present. "Alright! Fine! Whatever! But just don't come crying to me if we get busted by the police!"

"I would not dream of it, Kagome," Wyvern told her as he spun the wheel about. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd better start pressing the speed limit _to_ the limit!"

It wasn't long before Kagome discovered that Wyvern wasn't kidding about this statement. Less than a moment later, his car surged forward so fast that she found herself pressed against her seat. The following road trip was quite possibly one of the least pleasant experiences of her entire life, even compared to some of the battles fought in the Feudal Era. He took every turn at speeds way,_ way _too fast for her sake, and she doubted he used the brake so much as once. By the time they pulled in back of the civic center, Kagome felt as several shades paler and several more years older.

"Damn! That was some driving!" InuYasha grinned as he and Kagome got out of the car. "Where'd you learn to get one of these metal wagons to move like that?"

"I've traveled the world, conducting research for my books, InuYasha," Wyvern declared as he stepped out and started towards the tattered civic center. "And I've encountered more than a few people who made it clear that I was not welcome with weapons of all different shapes and sizes." Curling his lips, as if remembering some past adventure, the American paused and turned towards them. "Now, just give me a moment. I'd best make sure that the path is clear before you two go in."

"Right, sure," Kagome grumbled. "It'll give my stomach a chance to catch up with us."

Chortling at this, InuYasha turned to look inside the car, where Michiru still sat. "You okay in there?"

"Can I open my eyes yet?" Michiru asked meekly. "I'm not opening them again until I'm sure we're not moving."

Laughing despite herself, Kagome put her hands to her hips. "Yes, we've stopped moving," she informed him. "And maybe this will teach you to listen to me instead of just barging ahead and -!"

"Kagome! InuYasha!" Somewhat annoyed by this interuption, Kagome looked at Wyvern, who was waving for them to join him. "I've cleared the path! We'd best move quickly, before the guards show up!"

"Right." Turning back to his friend, InuYasha said, "You just wait here and rest, Michiru. We'll be back before you know it."

"I'm not moving, InuYasha," Michiru informed him, his eyes open and a wearied smile on his face. "Trust me, I'm not going _anywhere!_"

Giving his friend a low chuckle, InuYasha turned and started towards the center, with Kagome right behind him. "Maybe we can get Wyvern to take it easier on the accelerator on the way home," she muttered beneath her breath as they made their way towards the ruined portion of the center. "At this point, I think I'd feel safer dealing with the police than another round of Wyvern's driving!"

Snorting in such a way that made it clear that he didn't deem this comment worthy of some form of comeback, InuYasha continued until they caught up with Wyvern. The American was standing at the door of the wrecked hallway, artifacts and displays still strewn all over creation. "Ugh. This certainly is a mess," Wyvern commented sadly. "I think I'm going to be cataloging and sifting through debris for at least a week before everything's settled. And I don't even want to think about the number of artifacts that might have been destroyed."

"I bet," Kagome concurred sympathetically.

"You can worry about that later. Right now, we have more important things to deal with," InuYasha declared. "Kagome, can you sense the Jewel Shard?"

Furrowing her brow, the reborn priestess looked about the expanse. "Just barely," Kagome finally admitted. "Remember, the amber hides a lot of the Shard's power. And there's still a lot of energy left over from Ryokage's rampage, so it's even harder to sense it."

"What about the compass?" Wyvern wondered, giving both Kagome and the artifact in question a knowing glance. When she met his gaze, the American shrugged and explained, "As we've already seen, the compass can detect demonic power, even from great distances. Perhaps it can point out the Shard for us."

Taking hold of the compass and dangling it before her eyes, Kagome considered the idea. "I guess it's worth a try!" she finally decided before closing her eyes in concentration. As before, the compass lit up with divine power, the arrow spinning about before sending out a beam of purple light. "Over there!"

"Heh! I'm on it!" InuYasha grinned, moving about the debris until he finally reached the indicated spot. Bending down, he dug through the mess, tossing bits and pieces of wood and junk this way and that. Finally, less than a minute into his search, the half-demon cried out in triumph. Rising to his feet, he held up a glittering object above his head. An object the compass marked with its beam.

"Ha! Got it!" InuYasha crowed as he leapt back to join the others. "Damn, that was simple! If only all the Shards were as easy to track down as this one!"

"Yeah, I know," Kagome admitted. Looking somewhat sadly at the sacred artifact, she removed it from her neck. "Still, thanks for lending it to us, Mr. Wyvern. It really was a big help."

"I know," Wyvern replied, looking somewhat sadly at the object in question. "Which is why I've decided that…you should keep it, Kagome."

Her eyes and mouth popping open in surprise, Kagome took a step back from the American. "Oh, no…you don't have to do that!"

"Now, now, I insist," Wyvern told her, dismissing her refusal with a wave of his hand. "Given what I've seen this day, I think it's safe to say that you and your friends have far greater need of it than I do. And it certainly wouldn't do anybody any good if all it does is sit on some shelf of mine, collecting dust."

Blinking as she looked from the compass to Wyvern and back, Kagome smiled brightly before once again placing it around her neck. "Well…if you're sure…!"

"I'm sure," Wyvern assured her. "Just…do one thing to humor me and…try to keep it in one piece. Okay?"

"Absolutely!" Kagome agreed.

"Right," InuYasha decided. "Now, let's get going already! We still have to get back to Kagome's place, remember?"

"Oh, I remember, alright!" Kagome assured him. "And Wyvern? Do something to humor _me_ and try and get _us_ back in one piece!"

Chuckling in his throat at this, the American nodded and said, "I will certainly do my best, Kagome."

* * *

"My, you weren't kidding when you said that you'd collected all of my books!" Wyvern commented, watching as Kagome's grandfather shuffled towards the author, a huge pile of books in hand and eager grin in place. "I must say, you've kept them in excellent condition as well."

"Why, certainly!" the old shrine priest replied as he set the books before Wyvern. "I take great pains in making sure items of such importance are maintained. Why some people allow their things to fall apart, I'll never know!"

Smiling as he watched the two of them interact, Michiru sighed wearily as he sat in the Higurashi dining room. A short time had passed since, after another mind-bending car trip, they had finally gotten back to Kagome's home. The odd foursome was warmly welcomed by Kagome's mother, and were summarily invited to sit back, relax, and enjoy a pleasant dinner. Something both himself and InuYasha had done with reckless abandon.

As for InuYasha, he snorted laughingly as Kagome's grandfather took a pen and shoved it into Wyvern's hand, which was all the comment he could make as he stuffed his face full of food. "Father, please! Stop monopolizing Mr. Wyvern's time so that the both of you can eat," Mrs. Higurashi commented wearily as she came out of the kitchen with additional food in hand. "Your dinner's getting cold. Besides, I'm sure he won't leaving with signing your books."

"Hmm? Oh, yes, of course, dear, of course," Grandpa returned, not even bothering to look at his daughter as he waved her concerns aside.

Smiling at this, Wyvern looked up at the Higurashi matriarch. "It's quite alright, my dear. Truth be told, this is turning out to be the best book signing I've ever done. I don't even have to worry about getting writer's cramp," he commented wryly. "And in any case, there are some matters I'd like to discuss with your daughter."

Sighing in a 'what can you do?' fashion, Mrs. Higurashi nodded and said, "Yes, somehow I expected you would." With that, she turned her attention to the other people seated at the dining room table. "So, is anybody ready for seconds?"

Unsurprisingly, InuYasha's hand shot up as he swallowed down his latest mouthful. A moment later, Michiru smiled and raised his hand as well. "Me, too."

"Wow, Michiru. You really _are_ getting to be more like InuYasha," Kagome commented as her mother departed to get more food. Glancing down at the emptied plates that sat next to the Shikigami User, she made a face before continuing. "I don't see how you could have even tasted anything, the way you were shoveling it all down!"

His cheeks burning somewhat in humiliation, Michiru brought his hand to his hair. "Yeah, I know. I don't think I've ever been so hungry in my entire life."

"Aw, give him a break, Kagome!" InuYasha grumbled as he finished up his own first serving. "He's had a rough night, okay? And besides, you know what using his Light of Judgment does to Michiru!" Casting a glance at his friend, one that held a glimmer of respect in his eyes, the half-demon added, "After everything we've been through, I'm amazed you managed not to pass out!"

Smiling wanly, Michiru looked over at Kagome, who had nothing to say to that. The fact was that, the few times Michiru had used his Light of Judgment in the past, he had fainted dead away immediately after, and it had been hours before he fully recovered from it. The fact that he had used this attack, had enough energy to help InuYasha use the Shikigami Backlash Wave, and had remained conscious through it all was hard proof of how far he had come in the months since he had returned from the Feudal Era. "Yeah, well, I'm definitely planning on passing out in a bit. Just as soon as I'm done eating, I'm going to bed."

"That battle must've been something else," Sota commented from where he sat. "They showed some shots of the prison a little while ago! There's nothing left there! Nothing!" Frowning pensively, the youngest Higurashi looked over at his sister. "Is that what it's like, sis? Fighting demons in the past?"

Realizing that she had been put on the spot, Kagome shot her brother a reassuring smile. "Not exactly, Sota. Even back in the Feudal Era, there aren't too many demons as powerful as Ryokage was."

"He sure was a pain in the ass," InuYasha grumbled as Mrs. Higurashi began serving their next servings. Glancing down at the table, at the chunk of amber that sat there, he grinned and added, "At least we got a Sacred Jewel Shard out of this mess!"

"And we made a new friend, too," Michiru added, indicating Wyvern with a nod of his head.

"Thank you." With that, Wyvern proceeded to sign Grandpa's entire collection of his books. When the last of them was finally autographed, much to the old shrine priest's delight, the American turned about. "Well, now that that's done, there's something I'd like to discuss with you, Kagome."

Kagome just gave the author an odd look. "Oh? What is it?"

"It's about your adventures pertaining to the Feudal Era. There's something I wanted to clarify," Wyvern stated, giving her an intense look. "You told me before that, in your family's shrine is an ancient well that connects our time to Feudal Japan? That that's what houses the portal that you use to travel back in time?" Kagome nodded to this. "And in this time, you've encountered demons, magic, and other fantastic sights?"

Nodding again, Kagome replied, "Well, yeah, it's something like that."

"And you said that you and InuYasha are the only ones who can pass through this well?" Kagome again nodded, at which point Wyvern groaned despairingly. "Oh, if I only I could join you two! I would dearly love to see this world with my own eyes!"

"You should be thrilled you can't go," InuYasha told him irritably as he tore into his second serving. "There are lots of demons there that would love having you for lunch!"

Wyvern nodded humorlessly. "I suppose you're right," he admitted. "Still, I fell in love with Japan's ancient history and culture a long time ago. I've studied everything I could lay my hands on, trying to learn more about its past, its heritage." Sighing despondently, the American looked down at this own hands, which were folded in his lap. "And to be able to go that world that I've researched for myself, to see its people and magic, just once…"

As Wyvern closed his eyes, seeming to be seeing the world he had just described in his mind, Kagome and the others looked at him before glancing amongst themselves. As Michiru, he couldn't help but feel bad for him. They had been planning on stealing from Wyvern, and here he had done everything he could to try and help them. And ultimately, not only had he given them the Shard without protest, but had also entrusted them with a valuable artifact that had probably cost him quite a bit.

Even as Michiru's conscience gnawed at him, Kagome's eyes lit up with inspiration. "You know, maybe there's a way you _can_ see it."

Stunned by this statement, Michiru looked up sharply at Kagome. "Huh?" he gasped even as InuYasha and Wyvern looked at her as well.

"I mean, sure, you can't go through the well, but I take stuff through it all the time," Kagome explained. "And I was just thinking that…maybe I could take a camera with me. Take some pictures for you there, if you wanted."

_Oh. That's what she was talking about,_ Michiru thought as disappointment reclaimed him. _I guess I should've known._

While Michiru was once again contemplating his own inability to travel to the past, Wyvern's eyes were lighting up. "You…you would do that for me, Kagome?"

"Well, sure! It's the least I can do," Kagome smiled nervously. "I don't have a video camera, but…"

"I have one," Wyvern cut in. "A small digital camcorder I use for research. Kagome, if you would truly do this for me, show me this world, I will gladly give it to you."

Kagome just smiled slowly for Wyvern's benefit. "Okay, sure," she replied. "So…where is it?"

"Back in my car." His excitement visibly growing, the American practically leapt to his feet. "Hold on! I'll be right back with it!"

Jolted by this, Kagome then shook her head as Wyvern rushed for the door. "No, wait! You don't have to get it…right…now…" Trailing off as the American practically flew outside, she then sat back down with a decided thud, her face falling. "Great. Just great."

"He sure seems to think so," Sota grinned.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to be dropping by Kaede's Village a lot sooner than I had expected?" Kagome muttered, bringing her hand to her forehead.

Studying his wearied friend, Michiru did his best to feel a bit of sympathy for. He knew that Kagome was also drained from battle, and was likely not in the mood to deal with Wyvern's enthusiasm. But even as he thought this, he couldn't help but think that he would gladly tolerate such a thing if it meant returning to the person who had claimed his heart. "Aw, c'mon, Kagome. You don't really think he's going to drag us all to the Well, just like that?"

Leveling her tired eyes at Michiru, the modern priestess looked ready to say something derisive in regards to this statement. But before she could do so, Wyvern returned with sturdy case in hand. "Here we are!" he announced. Completely heedless of anything else, he set the case on the couch and opened it, and pulled out a small, sturdy-looking camera. "Thank goodness I had the foresight to give it a full charge before we left! And I have a fresh memory card in and ready to go!" Turning towards the young warriors, the American grinned like an eager schoolboy. "Um…whenever you're ready, of course."

Groaning as Kagome's face soured with annoyance, Michiru lowered his eyes to the table and devoted himself to eating his second serving. "Okay, okay! We'll go right after we've finished dinner. Will that be alright with you?"

"Certainly!" Wyvern replied agreeably. Without another word, the author sat down on the couch with his camera in hand. Practically drilling holes in the three of them with his eyes.

_Okay, so I was wrong!_ Michiru groaned as Wyvern's gaze threatened to burn a hole in his side. Shaking his head, he glanced at his friends. InuYasha was rolling his eyes as he ate, which was a sure sign that he was annoyed, but really didn't care one way or another about the American's enthusiasm. As for Kagome…Michiru decided it was best not to look at her until later. _Much_ later.

Finally, the three of them had finished eating, and as one, turned to look at Wyvern. He was still sitting in exactly the same position, still looking at them with bright enthusiasm. Upon seeing this, they once again looked at each other, knowing by their expressions alone that they all agreed that there was no use in putting this off. "Well, I'm done," Kagome announced, setting her dishes off to the side. "Mom, could you…?"

"Of course, dear," Mrs. Higurashi agreed, moving to take her plates.

Rising to her feet, Kagome started towards the impatient American. "Well," she started as Michiru and InuYasha moved to join her, "shall we? If you're ready, that is."

Judging from the way Wyvern leapt to his feet, it was obvious that asking him if he was ready was like asking if water was wet. "Certainly, my dear!" he beamed, handing Kagome the camera. "Please, lead the way!"

A muted groan of exasperation was Kagome's only expression of irritation as she led them outside. "I cannot possibly thank you enough for this, Kagome," Wyvern went on, rambling happily. "I'm about to learn more about ancient magic and the Feudal Era of Japan than I have in over years of research!"

"Now, just so we're clear, you realize that this is just going to be a short trip," Kagome answered, clearly determined to regain control over the situation. "It's late back in the Feudal Era as well, you know! Our friends might even be asleep by now, and I don't want to disturb them!"

"Oh, of course, of course! Forgive me, I'm not trying to be overly demanding of you! But after so many years of research, of guesswork and educated analyses, I truly am anxious for even a brief glimpse of this world of the past," Wyvern told her soothingly. "A short trip to the village will be just fine for the moment."

"Good," Kagome replied, apparently satisfied.

Her satisfaction soon turned out to be very short-lived, however. "Of course, when you return to your journeys, I'll have to make sure to give you plenty of batteries. No electrical wiring back then, so recharging them won't be an option," Wyvern commented idly. While Michiru watched a vein bulged from Kagome's head, with InuYasha chuckling at her expense, the American blithely went on. "And of course you'll need plenty of memory cards. It's likely to be a while between visits to the present, so we can't afford to miss a single opportunity.

A few more veins bulged from Kagome's forehead at this. "Uh…Mr. Wyvern…"

"Fortunately, it shouldn't take too long to get the needed equipment. I have an excellent arrangement with my suppliers," Wyvern continued. "And then I'll have to set it up so that you're paid for all this."

Turning about to glare at the American, Kagome growled, "Mr. Wyvern, really! I -!" Then her tongue fell flat in her mouth as she rapidly processed this last statement. "Uh…paid?"

"Well, it's only fair that I pay you," Wyvern responded casually. "After all, you're going to a lot of trouble for my benefit. And since, technically speaking, you'll be doing research on my behalf, it's only fair that you be compensated." Narrowing his eyes in concentration, the author pondered the situation. "Of course, we'll have to make sure that that's handled discretely. No use drawing any undue attention."

As InuYasha and Michiru just watched in growing disbelief, Kagome stuck out both hands and waved in negation. "No, no, that's okay! You don't have to…it's no trouble, really! I -!"

"Now, now, I insist," Wyvern countered with a business-like smile. "So, how about two thousand yen per hour of footage?"

"No, really, I…" Kagome once again trailed off as Wyvern's words hit her. "D-did you just say…two thousand yen?"

"Yes, I did." Then Wyvern frowned thoughtfully. "What's wrong? Isn't that enough?"

"N-not enough?" Kagome squeaked, her eyes widening. Michiru sniggered at her reaction, positive he could hear the sound of cash registers dinging.

Wyvern then smacked himself in the forehead. "What am I saying? Of _course_ it's not enough! Actual footage of demons, magic, an entire past culture! Such information is beyond priceless! Never mind the danger faced in obtaining it!" Shaking his head in seeming disbelief, the American smiled even more broadly. "Would ten thousand yen per hour be more appropriate?"

Kagome's eyes went even wider. "T-t-ten…_thousand_ yen?" she barely got out as even more cash registers dinged.

"Yes, that's much better," Wyvern said mostly to himself. "Also, I don't know if it would be possible, but…if you were to bring back a few specimens from that world for me to study…some charms and talismans, maybe a bone or two from a demon…I would gladly pay you a generous commission for such items."

"A…commission…?" Kagome barely got out around an entire chorus of cash registers.

At this, InuYasha simply glared at Kagome in irritation. "Gee, Kagome, aren't you lucky? All you have to do is take a few pictures and this guy's ready to make you rich!"

While Kagome was still struggling with the notion of all those yen, Wyvern smiled sheepishly. "Oh, that's right, InuYasha! I almost forgot about you and your other friends!"

"Huh?" Michiru and InuYasha went at the same time.

"Since you and the others will be helping Kagome, it's only fair that you be compensated as well," Wyvern explained. He then frowned thoughtfully. "Hmmm…modern currency would be useless in the Feudal Era, but…" Wyvern then looked straight at InuYasha. "Tell me; do you think you and your friends would be willing to accept supplies of food and medicine as a form of compensation?"

Michiru almost smiled as his friend's look of irritation instantly faded away. "Food, huh?" InuYasha asked, looking a bit more interested now. "Like those instant noodles and dried potatoes?"

"Dried potatoes? Oh, you mean potato chips! Of course!" Wyvern responded happily. "So, what do you think? Do we have a -?"

"_Deal!_" Kagome cried out. The rest of them spun about at her outcry, and Michiru could have sworn that large, neon yen signs were currently dancing around her head. "It's a deal! Really!"

"Excellent!" Wyvern replied enthusiastically. "And again, thank you for doing this for me, Kagome! I can't tell you how much it means to me!"

As Wyvern and Kagome talked, hammering out some of the details, Michiru eyed his friends enviously. _At least somebody's getting something out of…_ Before he could complete this thought, something jolted him in his mind. _What the – huh?_ Looking about, the Shikigami User frowned as he surveyed his surroundings. He spent the next several seconds visually searching before finally frowning to himself. _I…I could have sworn that I heard something. I…_

Movement!

Catching something moving out of the corner of his eye, Michiru jumped about to face whatever it was. Only to groan in dismay when all he saw was a bird fluttering its wings as it perched on a nearby tree before it started preening its wing. Heaving a deep, weary sigh at this, the Shikigami User threw up his hands in disgust. _Oh, what am I doing? Jumping because of a bird?_ Rolling his eyes at his own actions, Michiru forced himself to look away from the airborne intruder. _I must be more out of it than I thought._

While Michiru was thanking his lucky stars that no one had seen his irrational reaction, Kagome and Wyvern were wrapping up their rapid negotiation. Seemingly satisfied, the American gestured towards the shrine housing the Bone-Eater's Well. "And now that that's more or less settled…shall we proceed?"

"Oh, of course!" Kagome beamed, her expression almost as bright and cheery as Wyvern's own. With a new skip in her step, she once again led the way, practically bouncing as she entered the Higurashi Shrine and descended down to the Well. Wyvern quickly circled the Well, murmuring beneath his breath as he took in every detail, while Kagome straddled the ancient passageway through time. "You coming, InuYasha?"

The half-demon didn't answer right away. Instead, he glanced at Wyvern, whose eyes were all aglow with excitement as he continued to look at the Well. Somehow managing to throw up his hands in surrender without actually doing so, InuYasha turned to Michiru and asked, "You gonna be okay here?"

Sighing tiredly, Michiru took a moment before saying, "I think I can manage. Just be sure to get back as quickly as you can."

"Right," InuYasha agreed. Shaking his head at Wyvern and uttering a few choice remarks beneath his breath, he then moved to join Kagome. "Well, we might as well get this over with."

Nodding, Kagome smiled at Michiru and said, "We'll be back in a few minutes!" And without further ado, she and InuYasha leapt into the depths of the Well, disappearing in a flash of blue light.

As soon as the magical light of the Well subsided, Wyvern's entire body lit up with delighted astonishment. "A-amazing! Absolutely astonishing!" Whipping out a flashlight from seemingly nowhere, the author played it about the interior of the Well. When the beam revealed nothing but craggy rock in the depths, his grin expanded so much so as to become somewhat larger than his mouth. "To think I am this close to that world…next to a portal to a world of ancient magic…it's like a beautiful dream!"

"Yeah. A dream," Michiru lamented as he looked into the depths of the Well. "I just wish I could make it come true."

Apparently surprised by Michiru's dour tone of voice, Wyvern turned and frowned at him. But after a few moments, the American's expression softened, becoming a look of purest sympathy. "You know," he murmured gingerly, "it's possible that, if I had more background information on this well, I could possibly find a way for others to travel through it."

Michiru gave the red-haired man an odd look, one that held a bit of annoyance mixed with hope. "You think it's possible?"

Wyvern shrugged helplessly. "We live in a world where demons pop out of urns and wreak havoc. Who's to say what's possible or not?" As Michiru continued to look at the American, Wyvern smiled again. "Besides, it seems obvious to me that you want to go with them. I mean, I'm sure that you'd like to be able to be with your friends in that world as well."

"Yeah…yeah, I would," Michiru admitted, the face he loved appearing within his mind as he gazed into the Well's depths. Nothing further passed between the two of them as they waited, time passing unnoticed and unremarked.

Finally, after a seeming eternity, the bottom of the Well lit up with its magical light. And from its depths shot up a blur of red that came to land nearby. "We're back!" Kagome cried out excitedly as she carefully stepped off of InuYasha's back. "Sorry to take so long, but we got to talking with the others."

"Did you tell them about Ryokage?" Michiru wondered.

"Not exactly. We didn't want to keep you waiting, so we just mentioned that we had some excitement here," Kagome explained. As the reborn priestess approached them, Michiru noticed that she was carrying a leather satchel, as well as a few other things.

Watching dismissively as Kagome rifled through the bag, InuYasha gave his friend a grumpy smile as he jerked his thumb at Wyvern. "Of course, the reason we didn't have time to tell them about that is because Kagome spent most of the time telling them about _him!"_

"Well, I had to, InuYasha! I had to explain what we were doing there, and why we couldn't stay!" Kagome retorted. "Anyway, I got the footage you wanted, plus a few other things." Handing Wyvern the satchel, she pulled it open and began pointing out some of the items decorating the interior. "Let's see…there's some of Miroku's sutra talismans, a couple of Shippo's magic mushrooms. A few odds and ends from the village general store, and here!" Kagome then held up a sheathed sword that had been hanging from her back. "We stopped by the village blacksmith, and he was happy to give us this."

"Yeah, but why anybody would actually want any of this junk…" InuYasha muttered. Only to be brought up short by the sight of Wyvern drooling as he looked over the bag's contents.

"Extraordinary!" Wyvern goggled, as eager as a little kid in a toy store. "I can't wait to get them back and study them!" Then he locked his eager gaze on Kagome herself. "And the camera?"

Smiling broadly, Kagome held up the camera and patted it on the side. "Right here. And I started recording the moment we got here. We got everything from the trip down the Well to looking around Kaede's Village." Then she looked at Michiru and added, "And we even had it running when we were talking to the others."

Jolted by this, Michiru sputtered out, "Wh-what? You mean…you taped San- I mean, you taped it when you were…talking with everyone?"

"That's right," Kagome confirmed. Giving Michiru a sad, sympathetic smile, she added, "I figured that…since it's been three months for you here…you'd want to see everyone again. So…"

"Kagome, I…" His voice failing him, Michiru shook his head as he looked at the camera. In that instant, he could have sworn that it was made of solid gold. "Thank you." Then he looked up at the others, he smiled weakly. "So, uh…shall we go inside and…have a look?"

"Absolutely!" Wyvern grinned enthusiastically. "And while we are examining this sudden treasure trove, I shall start making arrangements to procure supplies for you, amongst other things. Is that reasonable?"

"Okay," Kagome agreed, and with that, the four of them returned to the house. After a few minutes, she and Wyvern had set up the video camera to play on the Higurashi television, and every sat back and watched the video. For the first time, Michiru and Kagome's family were able to see the magic of the Bone-Eater's Well in action, and they watched as the two of them made their way out of the forest and into the village where Kaede lived.

"Exquisite! An actual village of Feudal Japan! And look at the construction of that building! Hmm…" Wyvern trailed off at this. As the camera panned this way and that, the American was heard making near-silent comments about things such as construction variants and available materials. He continued to do so as the recording continued, following InuYasha and Kagome as they arrived at Kaede's house and they encountered the others. Leaving Michiru to forget everything…as he saw Sango again for the very first time in months.

Michiru more-or-less ignored the remainder of the video. Ignored how Kagome explained to the others what they were doing there, the various questions asked of her. Ignored the comments made by the Higurashi family as they saw Kagome's friends from the Feudal Era for the very first time. Ignored the way Kagome got them to demonstrate things such as Shippo performing different transformations and Kirara changing from her normal self to a saber-toothed cat that was bigger than a horse with flames adorning her legs. All he did was watch as Sango stared at the object in Kagome's hands with trepidation before holding up her hands before her face.

"Sango, what is it?" the Kagome in the video asked her.

"Kagome, I…oh, please get that thing away from me!" Sango protested, her cheeks coloring as she back away. "I don't want to be…recorded or whatever it is you call it! It's late, and I…I don't want to be…shown off on one of those strange boxes you've told me about!"

"And why wouldn't you want to be shown off?" Miroku asked from off-camera. "A beauteous woman such as yourself shouldn't be ashamed of such things."

"Miroku, _please!_ I feel ridiculous! I…" Sango trailed off at this, her cheeks burning that much more. All the while Michiru sat there, utterly mesmerized by the Demon Slayer. His heart simply melting away as he looked at her once more, he felt as if he was drifting away into a dream. It wasn't just that Sango was beautiful – which she certainly was – but also that she was so wonderful. Feminine yet forceful, delicate yet strong, kindly but not afraid to stand up for what she felt was right, and the shy smile she had…Michiru could spend all day looking at her smile.

As the video came to an end, Wyvern grinned merrily. "Exquisite! And to think that this is only the first of such things that I'm to be blessed with. Kagome, again, I can't thank you enough for your kindness!"

"Hey, it's no problem!" Kagome returned. Then she smiled dangerously and pointed right at his face. "Just be sure that you don't forget about your end of the bargain. Right?"

Wyvern chuckled at this. "Of course not. In fact, if you'll excuse me, I'll start on that right now."

"Great!" Kagome grinned. With that, the two of them went off while the rest of the Higurashi family went about their own business. Leaving Michiru where he was, lost in his deep his longings.

He loved Sango. Michiru had known that for a long time. He had seen her beauty the first time they had met, had grown to care for her when he learned of the tragedy that had befallen her and her brother. He had come to admire her strength, her courage, and her compassion. And ultimately, he had lost his heart to her entirely, to the point that he wanted to be with her, even if it turned out that she loved another. This was what his heart wanted, what he _needed_, and was precisely what the Bone-Eater's Well had decreed that he couldn't have. He couldn't see her again, couldn't talk to her. Could have absolutely nothing to do with her.

_Life might now be fair,_ Michiru thought woefully. _But does it really have to be this unfair?_

As this dismal thought pounded itself into Michiru's head, he was startled from his private world when someone loudly sat down beside him. "Hey, Michiru."

Starting loudly, Michiru whipped about, only to settle down as he realized who it was that had startled him. "Oh…InuYasha!" he muttered sheepishly. "Sorry, I…you surprised me."

"Yeah, I got that!" InuYasha noted wryly. His eyes shifting towards the television, he added, "I also noticed that you haven't moved since they had that…that video thing on." Following his friend's gaze, Michiru realized that he had been found out, at which point he sighed and let his face fall forward. "Michiru…"

"I know, I know," Michiru murmured tiredly. "I guess…maybe it doesn't make sense for me to be acting this way, but…I can't help it."

"Who says it doesn't make sense?" InuYasha demanded crossly. "It's not like you can just forget about Sango!" Settling down a bit, the half-demon looked crossly at his human friend. "Dammit…like I said before. It's not like its any big secret."

"Yeah, I know," Michiru muttered glumly. "I just…wish I had some kind of clue, or…something."

"Hey, relax! We'll figure something out!" InuYasha assured him gruffly. When this failed to reassure Michiru, the half-demon frowned somewhat. "Besides…it's not like you're totally cut off." A puzzled sound echoed in Michiru's throat as he glanced up at his friend. "Well, what I mean is that…even if you can't use the Well – _yet!_ – you can still…" Shifting about with badly veiled uncertainty, InuYasha tried again. "Well, we can tell Sango how you're doing, and you how she's doing…you can even write her a letter or something…"

This last statement riveted Michiru's attention. "A…a letter?"

"Well, sure! Why not!" InuYasha then gave his friend one of his patented cocky grins. "If Kagome can bring that stupid camera back there, then why not a letter? At least then…well, you could keep up with us." However, even as he said this, one of the problems with such an arrangement already presented itself. "I mean…sure, you'd have to wait until we came back before you send them through, but still…"

"A letter." His thoughts focused on this simple concept, Michiru slowly shook his head in amazement. "I…I never even thought of that," he finally admitted. "I…I could write something to her…I mean, to _them…_right now, huh?"

"Yeah, sure!" InuYasha agreed, clearly pleased by his friend's reaction. "Why not? It's sure as hell better than sitting around, tormenting yourself about this!"

While Michiru was forced to admit that his friend was quite correct in this, another voice was heard. "Hey, you two," Kagome began as she and Wyvern approached them. "What's this about letters?"

"Oh!" Jumping somewhat, Michiru looked at the two of them. "Uh…did you get that stuff you were talking about taken care of?"

"Indeed. I've already arranged for various supplies to be delivered here come tomorrow morning," Wyvern informed them.

"Wow! That was sure fast!" InuYasha admitted.

"Well, it helps when you have excellent connections. And, of course, it never hurts to be rich, as well," Wyvern admitted. "So, uh…what was this you two were talking about? Arranging for some kind of correspondence between this time and the past?"

The human and half-demon boys looked at each other before Michiru smiled ruefully. "Uh…yeah. Something like that, anyway." After this bashful admission, he and InuYasha quickly explained what they had in mind. "So, anyway…we just figured that maybe that way…we could stay in touch. That's all."

"Well, sure! I don't have a problem with that!" Kagome replied. "Here, why don't you get to work on it right now, and…"

"And, actually, I might have a better option," Wyvern broke in. As soon as all eyes were again upon him, the American turned and went over to the case that had held his camera. "One of the items I use for research happens to be digital recorder I use for interviews. And it seems to me that you could use it to send voice messages to your friends back into the Feudal Era."

"What?" Michiru gaped, the possibilities exploding in his mind. The chance that he might well be able to speak to Sango, even hear her voice talking to him once again, taking hold. The fact that such communications would be limited in many ways didn't even register as he asked, "Are…are you sure that's okay?"

"Of course it is!" Wyvern beamed as he came up to Michiru and deposited the recorder in his hand. "Now, if you like, I can spend some time with you later, showing you how to use it."

"I…" Michiru gaped, looking at the tiny device. Looking and seeing Sango's smiling face superimposed on top of it. "I…thank you."

"No need to thank me. As far as I'm concerned, the entire world owes you and your friends a tremendous debt for what you've done today," Wyvern told him. "And seeing as the world, unfortunately enough, doesn't know who to thank for its salvation, then I suppose that task falls to me."

Despite the somber mood Michiru was in, he couldn't help but laugh at this. "Thank you," was all he could say before looking back down at the device he held. Which would give him the chance to say so many things that he had been unable to. And if it was possible to do that, then…

_I don't know how I'm going to do it, Sango,_ Michiru thought, his eyes moistening. _But I swear…somehow, I'm going to come back to you. I'm going to be with you again…

* * *

_

Author's Notes: Well, things seem to be looking up for Michiru. But just how will he manage to return to the Feudal Era? For that answer, you'll just have to check out the next chapter. And in the meantime, please read and review!


	5. Sango's Heart

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Chapter 5: Sango's Heart

After Michiru and the others spent the night soundly asleep, they were awoken by the delightful scents of breakfast cooking under Mrs. Higurashi's watchful eye. And this was quite fortunate in the Shikigami User's opinion, because the ravenous appetite he had garnered the previous night was still with him, and required two additional servings before it was finally sated.

"My goodness. I have to say, I can't imagine how you can keep your pantries stocked with such big eaters present," Wyvern commented as he enjoyed his morning coffee.

"Well, it isn't often that Kagome brings her friends over," Mrs. Higurashi admitted as she gathered up the dirty dishes. Then she looked over at her daughter and added, "Though I don't mind. I don't see enough of her as it is."

Looking at her mother in a way that betrayed her guilt, Kagome said, "I'm sorry, Mom, but at least with Naraku out of the way, it shouldn't take too long to gather up the rest of the Shikon Jewel Shards. Especially now that we have this compass."

Nodding at this, Michiru frowned as something else occurred to him. "Um, excuse me?" he started, looking over at where Grandpa sat, newspaper in hand. "Is there anything in there about what happened last night?"

"Hmph! Is there ever! That mess at the prison has been plastered all over the first ten pages!" the old shrine priest grumbled as he flipped through it. "They don't have any explanation as to what happened there. All they know is that they've found some bone fragments in the debris, and that's about it!" He then gave Michiru a coy look and added, "I tell you what, though. If it had been me talking to those featherbrained reporters, I'd certainly have given them a better excuse than, 'no comment'!"

"Yeah, I know. You'd have probably gone through everything from evil spirits to the common cold as possible causes before saying that!" Kagome commented with a roll of her eyes. While her grandfather was sniffing haughtily at this, she changed subjects. "What about the curfew? Are we going to have to worry about that again?"

"Well, it doesn't look like it," Grandpa reported. "The police haven't found anything to indicate that any kind of terrorist group or whatever is on the loose. Nor have they found any sign that any of the prisoners managed to escape."

"What's it matter anyway, Kagome?" InuYasha asked around a mouthful of food. The half-demon was once again garbed in his fire-rat fur kimono, which Wyvern had dearly wanted to study firsthand. Fortunately enough, he had had enough sense not to make such a request of its owner. "We have to get back to the others, so it's not like we have to worry about any dumb curfew."

"Yeah, I know," Kagome muttered, clearly not as keen on the subject of returning to the hunt for the Jewel Shards as InuYasha was.

As for Michiru, the knowledge that he was once again to be cut off from his friends by the Bone-Eater's Well hung heavily over his mind. But even so, he tried to keep it away from his friends, and instead looked over at his fellow modern warrior. "By the way, Kagome," he murmured as he pulled out the digital recorder Wyvern had given him. "I…finished recording a message for everyone back there. Could…could you play it for them once you get back? Please?"

Broken from her own dour mood, Kagome reached across the table and accepted the recorder. "Of course," she smiled. "I understand…what it's like." As she said these words, Michiru somehow knew that she was thinking of her own situation. Of all the times she had watched InuYasha and Kikyo together. How she wanted to be by his side, despite the feelings he still had for the undead priestess.

The quiet moment of friendship was then broken by the sound of a cell phone ringing to the tune of some old-fashioned song in Japanese. "Oh! That would be for me!" Wyvern said even as he brought forth his phone. "Yes, Wyvern here." The person calling said something Michiru couldn't make out, but had Wyvern promptly smiling. "Then you're here? Already?" Something else was said. "Excellent! Then please, start bringing everything up." The American then folded up his phone and beamed. "Well, it's here."

"What's here?" Sota asked.

"Why, the supplies I ordered, of course!" Wyvern declared as he rose to his feet. "Remember? I arranged for them to be delivered here last night."

"Wait. They're here _already?"_ Kagome demanded, her eyes ballooning at the American.

"Indeed," Wyvern confirmed. "Just give me a few minutes to make sure that everything is in order, and I'll have everything brought up here." He was about to leave the dining room, but then paused to look at the resident half-demon. "Um, InuYasha, I'm sure that I don't have to say this, but…"

"That's right. You _don't,_" InuYasha broke in. The glare he shot at Wyvern capable of stunning an attack dog at a hundred yards. And more than capable of leaving the American several shades paler, and with a large drop of sweat rolling down the side of his head.

"Ah. Ah ha," Wyvern sputtered out nervously. Loudly clearing his throat, he turned about to face the door. "Um…Kagome, would you be so kind as to join me in looking over the goods. Just to make sure that everything is in order?"

"Uh, sure. Right," Kagome muttered, shooting a sideways glance at InuYasha as she stood from the table. Coming up alongside Wyvern, she looked over her shoulder and mouthed the words 'sit, boy!' at the half-demon before the two of them left.

Groaning heavily, InuYasha muttered, "I _hate_ it when she does that." Turning towards Michiru, the half-demon tugged hatefully at the Beads about his neck. "It's not bad enough she can smash me down with these things whenever she wants! Oh, no, she has to rub it in every chance she gets!"

"Sorry, InuYasha," Michiru murmured gently. "But…it's not like there's a lot we can do about it . I already tried to remove the Beads once, and…"

"You tried to take off InuYasha's necklace?" Sota broke in.

"It's not a necklace! It's a goddamned collar with its own leash!" InuYasha snarled bitterly.

Wincing at the hateful voice with which his friend spoke, Michiru smiled sadly at Kagome's brother. "And to answer your question, Sota, yeah, I did try to take them off. Back in the Castle Town, after Kagome gave InuYasha three sits in a row." Then he grinned helplessly and added, "Just do me a favor and don't tell her that, okay?" When this set Sota laughing, the Shikigami User got to his feet. "Anyway, while they're taking care of that, I better call my dad and let him know I'm ready to be picked up. Unless I want to be grounded until I'm ready to graduate…from _college!"

* * *

_

"Whoa! Just look at all this stuff!" InuYasha grinned as he surveyed the boxes that were presently piled up just outside of Kagome's house. His foul mood completely forgotten as he rifled through them and discovered loads of instant noodles and potato chips, as well as several boxes of canned goods. Meat, fish, soup, fruits and vegetables, both canned and dehydrated, portable water purifiers, as well as several packages of medical supplies were laid out before them.

"Whew! If only we'd run into a long time ago! I can't tell you how much trouble we've had, trying to get what we needed back in the Feudal Era!" Kagome commented as she surveyed the numerous boxes.

"Considering what I've learned about some of the problems faced back then, I don't doubt it," Wyvern agreed candidly. "Now, there is one other thing I wanted to mention. I'm going to be in Tokyo for another week before I have to leave. If you could come back within that time, I'd be happy to show you some of the other items from my collection of artifacts. Perhaps if we're fortunate, you will find something else there that you might be able to use on your journeys."

"What?" Kagome gaped. "Really? Are you sure?"

Wyvern shrugged at this. "Of course. As with the compass, I'd rather have these be put to use than just sit around," he explained. Then he smiled in a mischievous way. "Besides, if I give them to you, then there's every chance I'll actually be able to see those artifacts in action, something that is presently impossible. A win-win proposal for everyone, wouldn't you agree?"

Frowning somewhat, Kagome wrinkled her nose as she pondered these words. "Well…I guess that makes sense," she finally decided. "I just hope your collections came through Ryokage's rampage okay!"

"As do I!" Wyvern declared with an almost theatrical flourish. "But before I'm forced to go to the civic center and try and put a number to my losses, why don't I help you get these things to the Well?"

"Eh, don't bother! I can handle this!" InuYasha snorted. Not giving anyone a chance to protest, the he picked up several boxes at once and started forward.

Rolling her eyes at the half-demon's bravado, Kagome turned to the others and said, "I better make sure he can see where he's going."

Chuckling as the reborn priestess started after InuYasha, Michiru and Wyvern made their way to the Bone-Eater's Well. There they watched as InuYasha made multiple trips back and forth across time, carrying the boxes of supplies with him.

It wasn't long before the last of the supplies was safely in the past, and the time to say goodbye had come. "See you around, Michiru," Kagome told him as she held up the digital recorder. "And don't worry. I'll make sure that everyone hears this."

"Thanks, Kagome," Michiru returned. "I guess I'll see you in a week."

"Good journeys to you and your friends," Wyvern said.

The two of them nodded before the half-demon looked squarely at Michiru. "Just be sure to take care of yourself, okay?" InuYasha asked in his usual cocky manner. "Try not to run into any more demons before we come back."

Nodding, Michiru answered, "Sure thing, InuYasha. And take care of yourself." Then, with a sad smile, he added, "And…give Sango my best."

"Sure thing," InuYasha told him with a look of understanding. Then he turned to Kagome and wrapped his arm about her waist. "Let's go, Kagome. The sooner we find the rest of the Jewel Shards, the better!"

"Right!" With that, the half-demon effortlessly lifted Kagome up before plunging into the depths of the Well. A flash of magical light was seen, and then they were gone.

Sighing despondently as he was once again cut off from his friends, Michiru turned about, and with Wyvern following a polite distance behind, exited the shrine. The two of them made their way up to the Higurashi residence and entered the living room, where they found Mrs. Higurashi, Grandpa, and Sota. "I take it that Kagome and InuYasha have left, then," she said in a way that made it clear that it wasn't a question.

Seeing the unspoken fears and concerns that hovered about Mrs. Higurashi's face, Michiru nodded. "Thanks again for letting me stay the night," he told them earnestly. Shifting about on his feet, unsure of how to say goodbye while still suffering from the previous ones spoken, he eventually said, "Um…my dad's going to be coming by soon, so I…I better get down to the curb and wait for him."

"Before you go, Michiru, there's a few things I'd like to take care of first." Turning about as Wyvern came up behind him, Michiru watched as he picked up a box, one much smaller than the boxes of supplies InuYasha had carried back into the past. "I'd like for you to have this."

"Uh, okay," Michiru responded as he accepted the box and looked inside. "Oh…are these your books?"

"Not all of them," Wyvern answered. "I had some books brought here that deal with all the various legends pertaining to the Shikigami. I thought that there might be something in one or more of them that might help you in mastering your powers."

"Wow, thanks," Michiru replied as he studied the box's contents before accepting the package. The box was fairly heavy, causing him to frown somewhat as he took its weight. "I…I really do appreciate it."

"It's no problem whatsoever. Also, I've been giving some thought to the things you and your friends have told me about the Bone-Eater's Well." Pausing just long enough to let Michiru and the Higurashis focus their full attention on him, Wyvern sat down at the table and said, "And I have a theory as to why only InuYasha and Kagome can use it to travel through time."

So great was his shock at this declaration, Michiru very nearly dropped the box squarely on his own feet. As it was, he squawked in surprise, fumbling with the box and almost falling over as he somehow managed to recover his balance. "Really?" he gasped, clutching the box to his chest, which had somehow doubled in weight. "Wh-what is it?"

"Well, bear in mind that this _is _only a theory, but I believe it does fit all the facts available," Wyvern cautioned him.

"Well, a theory is a good deal more than what we have right now!" Grandpa informed him. "Now, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

"Well, as you've already told me, the Bone-Eater's Well is governed by the sacred Tree of Ages that grows here," Wyvern began, talking partly with his hands. "Now, five hundred years ago, InuYasha was pinned to that tree by the Sacred Arrow of the priestess Kikyo, Kagome's previous incarnation. I believe – and as I said before, this is only a theory - that when this happened, both InuYasha's blood and aura must have infused the tree. This infusion created a connection between the two of them, and it's this connection that allows him to traverse the Bone-Eater's Well."

"Of course! In essence, InuYasha and the Tree of Ages have become linked!" Grandpa smiled, snapping his fingers. "That is why he can make use of its power!"

"But what about Kagome? She wasn't stuck to the tree!" Sota pointed out.

"True, but the Sacred Arrow of Kikyo, which held some of her spiritual power, _was_ affixed to the Tree of Ages, and during those years, if I'm correct, then some of its power must have sunken into the tree as well," Wyvern responded. "Of course, it wouldn't have as much power as Kikyo herself, which would explain why Kagome needs to have a Sacred Jewel Shard on hand to use the well. The Shard amplifies her link with the Tree of Ages, making it possible for her to use its power."

"My, my, it sounds like you've have it all worked out. That's quite a clever deduction," Mrs. Higurashi complimented Wyvern.

"Well, I have no proof, of course, but it would certainly seem to fit all of the facts on hand," Wyvern confessed modestly. "Still, this would seem to be well within the rules of magic. At least, as I understand them."

As for Michiru, he was processing everything Wyvern had just said. And when he was done, his heart immediately sank straight into his toes. "Are…are you saying that I'd have to be pinned to that tree for _fifty years_ in order to use the Well?"

Wyvern immediately waved his hands in negation. "No, no, no, you're missing my point!" he told him, staving off the despair that had hit Michiru like a fist. "What I mean is that the two of them forged a connection with the Tree of Ages, which I believe is the secret behind using the Bone-Eater's Well. Now, if you could find another way to create a similar connection, then you would also be able to use it."

A clue. A possible key to accessing the world he had been reborn in, as well as the woman he loved. "To forge a connection with the tree…" Michiru repeated slowly, his mind already spinning into overdrive with thoughts of the Tree of Ages, the Well. These things combined with everything he had been studying about using Shikigami power, as well as the materials that he had gotten from the Kururugi Shrine.

While Michiru was losing himself in the intensity of his own thoughts, Sota asked, "But why does the Well link these two times? And why did this all start with Kagome's fifteenth birthday?"

"Well, I'd say that is because that is the age Kikyo was when she passed away, which is why the Shikon Jewel appeared in Kagome's body at the same time. A form of spiritual karma linking her soul to the Jewel, I'd wager," Wyvern continued, clearly warming to the subject. "As for the why these two times are linked, I'd wager it's because InuYasha and Kikyo wanted to be together, despite Naraku's trickery, and when their energies sank into the Tree of Ages, so did that single, overwhelming desire. That desire helped to shape the Tree's power, so that it would fulfill that wish by allowing Kikyo's reincarnation to return to the time in which the man she loved still lived."

"That makes sense," Mrs. Higurashi nodded. "But…why did the Well send Kagome back to fifty years after InuYasha had been sealed?"

"Well, that's a tricky question, and I have to admit that I'm simply guessing at this," Wyvern admitted, seeming to be almost embarrassed by this confession. "But as I said, I have to believe that that's because it took that long for the Tree's power to be shaped for that particular task."

"But what about Michiru?" Sota pestered. "Why did Utsugi choose him, instead of some earlier descendant? Utsugi must have had lots of descendants who lived closer in time to him!"

"I'm not entirely certain. For that matter, I can't really explain why he didn't simply go after a descendant of his that was living in the Feudal Era." Fingering his chin in thought, Wyvern eventually shrugged. "Perhaps he didn't want to alienate Kakuju by stealing the soul of her child or grandchild. Perhaps it's some other reason altogether." The American shrugged again before going on. "But to answer your question, the first thing you have to remember is that Naraku was helping Utsugi, and he was probably aware of the Well and its powers. And if that's the case, then I think it's likely that they found it easier to bring somebody back from _this_ time because there is already a link between these two worlds, namely the Bone-Eater's Well. Furthermore, since Naraku knew of the Well, then I think it's likely that they were able to…"

"_That's it!_" Michiru screamed from completely out of the blue. Completely heedless of the looks leveled at him by the others present, he whirled about on his heel, the box in hands now as light as a feather. "I've got it, I've got it, I've got it!" he grinned, enraptured by what he had thought. "I've got you now, you stupid Well!"

"What is it?" Mrs. Higurashi asked.

"I've got it! I've really -!" Michiru began again. Before he could say another word, however, the sound of a car horn blaring cut through his delight, and froze him in place. "Omigosh!" he gasped in realization. "That must be my dad! I have to get going!" He turned to rush out the door, but then swung about managed a polite bow. "Oh, thank you all very much, but I've got to go now! I'll see you later! Bye!" And with that, Michiru departed so quickly that clouds of dust rose up in his passage. His mind already focused on his plans.

* * *

While Michiru was getting into his father's car and returning to the Kururugi Shrine, plans rapidly forming in his mind, five hundred years in the past, InuYasha and Kagome were making their way out of the forest that was home to the Bone-Eater's Well in the past. Kagome was smiling slightly, imagining the looks on everybody's faces when they saw the supplies given them by Wyvern, while the half-demon was carrying the many boxes of supplies.

Keeping a careful eye on him the entire time, Kagome winced when InuYasha stumbled slightly, tripping on an exposed root. "Hey! Be careful with those!" she told him crossly as the half-demon staggered off-balance. Rolling her eyes, Kagome snorted, "I told you that you didn't have to carry all those boxes at once! It's not like it would have killed us to make two trips!"

"Hey! I told you I can handle this!" InuYasha countered as he regained his balance, somehow shifting the boxes about in his hands so that they rested a little better. The top ones were resting against his forehead, but they still looked a less like to go flying off somewhere.

"Handle it? You can't even see where you're going!" Kagome countered, pointing at the top boxes he was keeping in place by bracing them with his own head. "How do you expect to make it to the village without crashing into a tree?"

Snorting loudly, InuYasha countered by saying, "Hey! It's not like I need to see where I'm going to get there! Now can we just get moving already? I'd like to get back to village sometime today!"

Kagome opened her mouth to say something to this, but ultimately groaned in exasperation. _Why do I even bother trying to beat some sense into that thick skull of his?_ she asked herself, massaging a throbbing headache that had appeared from out of nowhere. _I swear, how can anybody be so stubborn?_

Thinking that it would be nice if there was some way to beat the half-demon's less endearing traits out of his head with a sledgehammer, Kagome continued to walk alongside him. Her thoughts regarding his pigheadedness and inability to admit it when he made a mistake slowly shifting and changing course. "Anyway, I really do wish you wouldn't encourage Michiru the way you have been."

InuYasha was sufficiently taken aback by this statement that the pile of boxes in his hands once again jostled ominously. "And just what's that supposed to mean?"

"You know _exactly_ what I mean," Kagome informed him wearily. "I heard you and Michiru talking last night, when you came up with the idea of sending messages back with us."

"So? What's wrong with that?" InuYasha demanded.

"Look, if it were just a case of Michiru missing the others and wanting to keep in touch with them, I wouldn't have a problem," Kagome explained, trying to keep her voice level. "But…this thing he has for Sango…you know it's only going to get him hurt."

"Why? Because he can't use the Well?" Snorting derisively, InuYasha was forced to abort an attempt to sneer at her, lest he send his burden flying all over the place. "So what? If Utsugi could find a way to bring him back here without it, then you better believe Michiru can figure it out, too!"

"That's not what I meant," Kagome frowned. "It's just that…I know he has genuine feelings for Sango, but he has to face facts! She's got a good thing going with Miroku, and if he -!"

"_A good thing?"_ InuYasha snapped, all caution forgotten as he jerked at these words. And soon paid the price for it as the boxes he had just sent flying rained down upon him, with a couple landing squarely on his head. Grunting in pain, he brought his hands to his head and massaged the injury, keeping one eye fixed on Kagome. "And just what's that – ow! - supposed to mean?"

"Oh, great! _Now _look what you've done!" Kagome grumbled, quickly surveying the boxes that had landed all over the place before placing her hands to her hips and fixing the half-demon with a dangerous scowl. "I _told_ you not to try and carry everything at once!"

Growling deep in his throat, InuYasha bent down and began gathering the many boxes back up again. "Well, it's your own fault for saying something so stupid!" he declared savagely, not even bothering to look at Kagome as he worked. "What's this about Sango having a good thing with Miroku, anyway?"

Wondering not for the first time just how much granite had gone into the construction of InuYasha's skull, Kagome sighed wearily. "Look, it's like I've told you. Sango and Miroku…they're _perfect_ together! All you have to do is look at them, and it's obvious how they feel for each other!"

"Well, it's obvious how Miroku feels about Sango's _butt!_" InuYasha snorted. "Besides, Michiru told her that he loved her! And that's a lot more than she's even gotten out of Miroku!"

"C'mon, InuYasha! Just because they don't come out and say it doesn't mean they don't love each other!" Kagome tried again. "You've seen the two of them together, haven't you?"

InuYasha looked up from his labors just long enough to give Kagome look that asked, 'How can you possibly be so stupid?'. "Yeah, and I've seen the way he goes on with the ladies right in front of her! Oh, yeah, that's a _real_ display of love there, Kagome!"

"Look, I'm not saying that they don't have their problems now and again…" Kagome tried again.

"Now and again? More like every time we hit a village!" Having more difficulty as more boxes piled up in his arms, InuYasha scooted about, struggling to grab the last few without spilling the rest again. "It never fails, Kagome! As soon as we get to a town, Miroku starts in with his fake fortune telling, or picking up some pretty girl!" Letting go another fierce snort, InuYasha began reaching for another box, grunting with the strain of trying to keep another spill from occurring. "And how many times have we found him all beat up because he grabbed some girl's ass?"

Snorting as she was forced to silently concede this point, Kagome decided to try a different tact. "Maybe, but that doesn't change the fact that Sango…she just doesn't feel that way about Michiru!"

"Yeah. She doesn't slap him every time he looks at another girl!" InuYasha chuckled.

Feeling what little patience she had slipping away, Kagome decided to try a different tact. "Look, it's just that…even if Michiru is somehow able to find a way to use the Well, who knows how long it'll take him? And with Naraku dead, I'm sure things are going to start picking up between Sango and Miroku. They might even be married by then!"

"_Married?"_ InuYasha growled, his sudden ire very nearly resulting in another avalanche of boxes. "Get real, Kagome! Those two, married?"

"I'm serious!" Kagome retorted firmly, trying very hard to keep the word 'sit' from escaping her lips. "And if Michiru keeps going after her like that…I'm just afraid that he might get hurt. And I know that you don't want that."

"And what do you want me to do? Tell him to just give up and stay where he is?" InuYasha snarled as he tried to grab up the one last box. A task that had been barely manageable and level pavement proving to be nearly impossible in the midst of the woods. "He's my friend, dammit! Why would I do that to him?"

Pressing her lips together, Kagome studied the intractable half-demon. As much as she was grateful for moments in which he admitted to having certain feelings, such as that of friendship, such things weren't making things any easier. "Because it'd be the right thing to do," she told InuYasha matter-of-factly. "Just as it _would_ have been the right thing to do to tell him the truth about your transformation."

As soon as this was said, InuYasha's attempts to secure the final box halted. His free hand falling to the ground, as if it had been forgotten in the wake of more important things.

Turning about to completely hide his face from her, InuYasha muttered, "Don't even go there, Kagome."

"Why shouldn't I?" Kagome persisted, wanting to get this other issue out in the open. "After Ryokage possessed you, you told me not to mention your transformation to Michiru. You made it clear that you didn't want him knowing about it…and the Tetsusaiga." Glancing at the heirloom blade that hung from InuYasha's waist and thinking of the dread secret that it kept hidden from the world, just as it kept the mindless, full-blooded demon that would attack friend and foe alike locked up inside of him. "Don't you think that Michiru deserves to know about it?"

"Look, he doesn't need to know about this!" InuYasha growled irritably as he returned to his efforts to reclaim the final box. "He'd just worry if he knew! And he doesn't need that on top of everything else!"

"Look, he wouldn't be scared of you. You do know that, right?" Kagome countered, knowing what InuYasha was really worried about. Moving up to him, she bent down and picked up the box that had so thoroughly eluded him. "Michiru's your friend, and you should be willing to trust him," she said as she stood and looked him in the face. "And do what's right for him."

InuYasha remained crouched for a time, his face taut with emotion. Finally, he rose up and frowned at Kagome, his expression more of confused fears and other emotions than any real anger. "Yeah, well…I guess we have different ideas about what's right for him." The tone in his voice making it clear that he no intention in continuing this conversation, he started towards the village once more.

Sighing her exasperation, Kagome rolled her eyes before following. _Why does he have to be so impossible…?

* * *

_

_Dammit! Why is Kagome always so impossible?_ InuYasha grumbled inwardly as he made his down towards the village. Shifting the boxes about in order to keep his eyes clear, he frowned heavily as he avoided various holes and roots that would cause him to once again send his burden flying through the air. _It's not bad enough she doesn't have a clue about Michiru and Sango! No, she just has to go and drag up that mess with that bastard demon! _Giving another loud snort, InuYasha found himself in a very familiar, and very unpleasant position in regards to the modern priestess.

On the one hand, there was no doubt in his mind that Kagome meant a great deal to him. She had stuck with him over the course of their hunt for the Sacred Jewel Shards, had been at his side during their confrontations with Naraku and other threats, as well as more peaceful times. He knew, deep in his heart, that she had helped him trust again after Naraku's treachery, and that he wouldn't have met and kept his other friends if not for her. She had grown and developed as a person and a warrior since he had first met her, and in those quiet times when it was just the two of them, their other worries forgotten…he found himself happy in a way that he had only been during his time with Kikyo.

But as InuYasha thought of such times, other times were also remembered. The way Kagome delighted in tormenting him with the damnable Beads that hung from his neck, and had even tricked him by putting them back about his neck after they had been blasted apart in battle. The way she was so quick to blame him for the most ridiculous things, such as when Shippo made a brat of himself. The jealous tantrums she would throw when it came to Koga or Kikyo, and the way she kept going on about really stupid things back in that crazy world of hers, often taking off whenever she felt like, leaving them helpless to continue their quest until she came back.

_Why do I put up with this…?_ InuYasha asked himself, despite the fact that he already knew the answer to the question. Deciding to change mental subjects before he became embroiled in things far too painful to think about, he conjured up another image. _Dammit, why can't she be sensible like Michiru about this kind of thing? It'd sure make things a hell of a lot easier!_

Snorting softly, InuYasha found himself smiling at the thought of the modern magician. When he had first happened upon Michiru, his powers were barely apparent, and certainly hadn't hinted at the potential he had demonstrated in this most recent battle. He had been very much as whiny and troublesome as Kagome had been when she had first shown up, but like her, had matured rapidly into a consummate fighter. He had grown even more quickly than she had, in fact, and had proved to be a person he could easily talk with about many subjects, and had even tried to help him rid himself of the cursed Beads that were the bane of his existence.

_I sure do hope he can find a way to use the Well. And not just so he can get back together with Sango. I need someone here I can actually talk to without having to worry about being slammed into the ground,_ InuYasha thought. And this gave rise to another thing that InuYasha found admirable about his friend; he had been honest with Sango. Had actually confessed his feelings for her before returning to the modern world, something that he knew must've taken a great deal of courage after everything that had happened. _And I know he'd be a lot better for her than Miroku ever could be…_

As if thinking of the monk had somehow tempted fate, InuYasha's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice. "Why, Kagome! InuYasha! Welcome back!"

"Hi there, Miroku!" Kagome responded, speeding past InuYasha in order to greet the monk. "Sorry we had to be so brief when we stopped by last night, but…"

"That's alright, Kagome. It's perfectly understandable, given the circumstances," Miroku returned. As InuYasha shifted the boxes about to look at the two of them, he suffered a momentary pang as he looked at Miroku's right wrist, which no longer bore the sacred beads that kept his Wind Tunnel in check.

_Right, right. I keep forgetting. The Wind Tunnel's gone,_ InuYasha reminded himself. _It disappeared when we killed Naraku._ As he stood there, watching as Kagome interacted with the monk, the differences that had appeared in Miroku's behavior since he had been freed of the generational Wind Tunnel curse the demon had placed on his family became apparent once more. He smiled almost nonstop, and was especially carefree, particularly in his interactions with beautiful women.

"So, Miroku, where is everyone?" Kagome wondered.

"Well, I think Shippo is playing with some of the village children. As for Sango, she's probably taking care of Kohaku," Miroku replied. "He really has gotten a lot better since Naraku was defeated, but still, he does need his rest." As Kagome nodded happily to this, the monk turned towards the half-demon. "And what are all these you're carrying, InuYasha? Some kind of packages?"

"Supplies," Kagome replied. When Miroku turned to say something, she held up her hand in negation. "I'll explain everything later, okay. But could you go see if you can find everyone and get them to meet us at Kaede's house? Trust me when I say it's a _long _story!"

Pausing to consider this, Miroku smiled and answered, "I see. I gather that this has to do with events you hinted at last night?" Kagome opened her mouth to say something, but the monk lowered his eyes. "Say no more. I'll go find the others."

"Thank you," Kagome told the monk as he left to carry out her wishes, leaving them to continue to Kaede's home.

After a few minutes, they reached the home where the elderly priestess resided. As they approached, they saw Kaede gingerly sweeping in front of her simple dwelling before she looked up and spotted them. "Oh! Kagome! InuYasha. Welcome back, you two!" she beamed, her one eye sparkling with delight.

"Hello, Kaede!" Kagome returned before setting down her lone box.

"I must say, I'm glad to see you back so quickly!" Kaede told her. "You came and left so quickly, barely leaving a clue as to what was going on! And what was this about some lord from your time?" Frowning somewhat, the elderly priestess watched as InuYasha carefully set down his own burden. "Does that have anything to do with those packages there."

"Uh, yeah. And I'll explain everything just as soon as the others get back here!" Kagome told her.

Fortunately enough, it seemed that Miroku had no trouble tracking down the rest of their companions. A few minutes later, he along with Sango and Shippo appeared, both expressing delight at seeing them again, something Kagome was eager to return.

"Welcome back, Kagome!" Shippo grinned as he went up to her. "Wow, it sure is boring without you around!"

"Well, thanks, Shippo. I think." Giving a mild chuckle, Kagome stood up and greeted the Demon Slayer. "Hey, Sango. How's Kohaku doing?"

"He's resting right now. He's still recovering from…well, you know." As Kagome nodded knowingly at this, Sango took a step back and looked her over quickly. "Umm…you don't have that…camera thing of yours, do you?"

This time, Kagome laughed more loudly as she answered, "It's in my backpack, and don't worry, I'm not going to take it out right now." She laughed once more when Sango heaved a heavy sigh of relief. "Listen, I'm sorry to disturb all of you, but InuYasha and I have something important to tell all of you, and…well, I'd rather not try and tell it more than once."

"It's no trouble, Kagome," Miroku told her gently. "And judging from what you mentioned last night, it sounds as if whatever happened is rather complicated."

"Ugh! Like you can't believe!" Kagome groaned. "Listen, why don't we go inside and sit down! Trust me when I say that this is a _long _story!" The others were quick to agree, and as one, they entered Kaede's place and sat themselves down. And as soon as Kagome made herself comfortable, she told them about how they had found out about the Jewel Shard Wyvern possessed, and proceeded to the point where Ryokage had broken free of his urn and attacked them all.

"What?" Shippo yelped as Kagome related to them the destruction the demon of darkness had caused. "You mean there are still horrible demons like that in your world, Kagome?"

"Apparently so," Kagome admitted. "I have to admit, I was surprised as you are!"

"It's too bad we couldn't have come with you," Sango murmured, looking at her with concern. "It sounds like you could've used our help."

"Hey, don't worry, Sango!" InuYasha grinned before looking pointedly at Kagome. "It wasn't anything the three of us couldn't handle!"

"What?" Kaede frowned. "The _three_ of you?"

"Oh, that's right! I almost forgot!" Kagome groaned abashedly. "Remember how I told you that we ran into Michiru when we got back to my place? Well, he decided to come along with us. And believe me, I'm sure glad that he did!"

As Kagome spoke, InuYasha looked towards Sango, whose cheeks colored somewhat at Michiru's mentioned. "Oh, of course. I should have known have known he'd be willing to help," Sango smiled, obviously delighted at hearing Michiru's name. "So how's he doing?"

Grinning in triumph at the obvious caring Sango displayed, InuYasha answered, "He's doing okay. Turns out Michiru's been doing some serious training since he got back. He's way more powerful than he was when we destroyed Naraku!" He then told them about the massive battle that had consumed the prison in Kagome's world, and the role Michiru had played in it. "I swear, Mcihiru could probably even take Utsugi now!"

While Sango's smile was broadening at this declaration, Miroku frowned in thought. "Hmm. So, he's still in training…"

"Is something wrong, Miroku?" Shippo asked.

"Well, it just seems strange," Miroku explained in an offhand fashion. "After all, since he's back where he belongs, there doesn't seem to be any real reason to keep practicing."

"Really?" Sango broke in, frowning at the monk. "I think it's great that he's kept up the hard work."

"It's good thing, too," Kagome admitted ruefully. "I don't want to think about what would've happened if Michiru hadn't stunned Ryokage with his Light of Judgment."

"Well, whatever the case, I'm just glad that all of you came out of this whole thing safely," Miroku told them. "Now, what about this lord that you spoke of last night? The one who promised to provide us with supplies if we brought back specimens for him to study." Turning his head towards the door of the house, the monk continued, "Seeing as you brought quite a few boxes back with you, I gather that he is living up to his end of the agreement."

InuYasha found himself growling at this shift in subject. While it was true that Wyvern had so far proven himself to be an honest, willing, and valuable ally, his various mannerisms had already proven to be quite grating. Something that wasn't helped when Kagome got to her feet and said, "That's right! Come take a look!" Leading the way back outside, the reborn priestess made her way over to the boxes they had brought back with them. "All these boxes are full of food and medicine! And Wyvern's promised us even more later!"

"Really!" Miroku marveled as he and the others joined Kagome. Opening up a couple of the boxes, the monk's pleased expression became more and more pronounced as he took in the various foodstuffs to be found. "My, my! There's quite a bit here!"

"Sure is!" Shippo agreed as he rifled through the various canned goods. "Did you bring any sweets with you?"

"Uh, yeah," Kagome reported after a moment's searching. "There's some canned pudding over here, Shippo, and some other packages as well." While Shippo was bounding his way into the indicated boxes, the raven-haired girl focused on the others. "And it gets better. Remember the compass I showed you last night?"

"Ah, yes, of course," Miroku confirmed. "I must say, while I've heard of such artifacts before, that was the first time I've ever actually seen one."

"Well, Wyvern said that if we can come back in seven days, he'll let me go through more of his collection, and that he'll let me keep any magical artifacts I might find!" Kagome grinned enthusiastically.

"Well, we certainly should be grateful for this lord's generosity," Miroku stated as he examined the canned foods. "After all, our journeys are difficult, and any assistance is quite welcome."

"But what about all that stuff the jerk wants in return?" InuYasha complained.

"Now, now, InuYasha! I don't think he's being unreasonable in wanting a small something in return for his aid," Miroku said soothingly. "Besides, didn't you tell us the other night that he just wanted us to use that strange device to make a record of our journey, as well as any unusual objects that we might come across?"

"I have to admit, this sounds pretty good to me," Sango decided. "But what about the Shikon Jewel Shard you told us about? Where is it?"

"I left it back home," Kagome answered. "I figured it would be safe there for a while, and that I could get it and show it to you later."

"That might be a good idea," Miroku agreed. "Still, if the amber and the wards on the Shard are strong enough to make it hard for you to sense it, then it might be a good idea for you to keep it back at your home. Especially given that there are far fewer demons in your world."

"Right, good point," Kagome admitted. "Still, I'll let you have a look at it later. Just to be on the safe side."

While Miroku was agreeing to this, InuYasha turned towards their resident Demon Slayer. "Oh, hey! Sango?" When she turned to look at him, the half-demon glanced over at Kagome and grinned. "Michiru told me to give you his best. Whatever that means."

Sango blinked rapidly at this, soon afterwards her cheeks once again burned tenderly. "Oh…thank you for telling me."

Out of the corner of his eye, InuYasha could see Kagome shooting him one of her patent scowls. _Hmph. So Sango's not in love with Michiru, huh?_ he thought, taking a gentle sniff of the air coming off the Demon Slayer. _Well, her scent says otherwise, Kagome!_ Enjoying this moment of personal triumph, the half-demon looked over at the reborn priestess. "Hey, that reminds me. Kagome, are you gonna play that message or what?"

"Message?" Kaede repeated blankly.

"Huh? Oh, right! I almost forgot!" Her annoyance momentarily forgotten, Kagome shed her backpack and started rummaging through it. "Michiru, he…he recorded a message, and he asked me to play it for all of you."

"He…_recorded _a message?" Sango repeated, narrowing her eyes in confusion. "What does…?"

As Sango wrestled with the unfamiliar concept, InuYasha couldn't help but sympathize with her. He remembered the first time he had appeared in the world that had spawned Michiru and Kagome, and the bizarre sights and sounds of the city they called home. Even now, there were plenty of things that took him by surprise, such as those funny boxes through which people could see strange events and things that had never really existed. And he couldn't help but enjoy it when Kagome was stuck trying to explain what was a normal part of her life. "Uh…it's like he wrote a letter, only with his voice, rather than ink and paper," she told them. When neither Sango nor anyone else showed any sign that this made sense to them, Kagome shook her head and held out the recording device. "Look…maybe it'd be simpler if I just played it instead of trying to explain it."

"Most likely," Miroku agreed, looking at the device with obvious interest.

Without further ado, Kagome hit the play button. There was a couple seconds of silence, and then Michiru's voice came from the recorder, crystal clear as he himself was there speaking. "Hello, everybody. I guess InuYasha and Kagome have told you how I'm doing back here, and I'm glad to hear that all of you have been doing well. I'm sorry I never had the chance to properly say goodbye after the final battle with Naraku, but I'm not going to say it now. I've been studying the texts left in the Kururugi Shrine, and I hope I can find a way to return to all of you someday."

"As for me, when Utsugi's magic faded, I was returned home to the exact instant I'd been taken away," Mcihiru's voice continued. "Now, InuYasha and Kagome told me that's not how the Bone-Eater's Well works, so while you haven't seen me in a couple days, it's been more than three months for me." There was a tiny snort at this. "I have to admit, I was totally shocked when I found that out. But…well, I don't know what else to say about that, except that…I miss all of you. More than I can ever say."

A hushed gasp was heard from Sango. "Three months?"

"Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I'm doing my best here, and with a little luck, I'll be able to find a way to come back, and soon," Michiru's voice told them. "Kaede, I never got the chance to thank you for the advice and wisdom you offered me when I came to your world. I just wanted you to know how grateful I am for that. Shippo, I know you want to get stronger, so that you can fight more with your friends, to be able to protect them. That's something I understand all too well. Just take it slowly. Real strength comes with patience and understanding, and I'm not just talking about physical power. Miroku, do yourself a favor and stop going after everything that's female, attractive, and has a pulse!" A light chuckle emerged from the recorder, at which point the recorded voice added, "Because if you don't, one of these days, that's gonna get you killed!"

"Now, hold on!" Miroku protested, his voice heavy with indignation.

"Why? He's right, you know!" InuYasha needled.

"Boy, I'll say!" Shippo seconded, much to Miroku's consternation.

"Sango," the recording continued despite everything, "I told you once before that I loved you, and I meant every word of it. No matter what, I want you to be happy, and I hope Kohaku and Kirara are also doing well."

"Oh, Michiru…" Sango said slowly, a slight smile appearing on her face.

There was a nervous chuckle in the recorded voice before it continued. "You know, I…I've been wondering if I should even mention this, but I…I guess that it couldn't hurt. Shortly after I got back home, I was looking around the Kururugi Shrine, watching this festival we have here, and I…I could have sworn I saw you again. You bumped into me from behind, and you just stood there smiling for a moment before you disappeared." At this point, Sango's smile disappeared as her eyes widened. "Yeah, I know, sounds pretty crazy. Then that night, I dreamt I was back with you in the Feudal Era. We were walking through this grassy area, and I came up behind you and put my hand on your shoulder. You looked so surprised to see me, and then I told you not to worry, that I'd come back some day."

"What…?" Sango gasped, her mouth hanging slightly open. "It…it can't be…!"

"Well, that's just about it for now," Michiru's voice continued. "Just remember, I promise I'll do everything I can to come see all of you again. Until then, I wish you only the best. Goodbye for now...and thanks for everything."

"No! Wait! Michiru! Michiru, come back!" Sango shouted, moving over to Kagome, where she stared at the recorder like she could actually see him through it.

"Sango…it's just a recording," Kagome told the suddenly frantic Demon Slayer. "It's like a letter, only with your voice. Michiru can't actually hear you."

"But I have to ask him –!" Sango started, only to fall silent. The Demon Slayer looking as if she had encountered a ghost as she looked up from the recorder. "Kagome…can we talk? In private?"

Kagome looked at Sango for a time, visibly as confused as any of them by the Demon Slayer's outburst. "Uh…okay. Sure."

Nodding shakily, Sango started away from them, Kagome close behind her. "Sango," Miroku began, his expression unreadable as he looked at her, "what's going on?"

Pausing in mid-step, Sango turned just long enough to say, "I…I don't know." Then she continued onwards, quickening her pace and forcing Kagome to dash a short distance in order to keep up.

_What the…what the hell was _that _all about?_ InuYasha silently demanded. And as he looked about at the others there, he knew that variations of that same question was being asked in all of their minds.

A thoughtful noise sounding in her throat, Kaede then said, "Well, then, everyone. Let us get all this food inside. No use leaving them out here."

"But what Sango?" Miroku wondered, a decided frown on his face.

"I think it'd be best to leave her be for the time being," Kaede decided, her voice that of sage wisdom. "It would seem that something that we don't understand is ailing her, and it might be best for us not to interfere."

"Yeah, I guess," InuYasha agreed grumpily. Moving over to the boxes, he was about to pick up one of them, only to find that Shippo had taken up residence in it, and was happily gobbling down some of the canned pudding. Deciding that it would be a waste of time to growl at the little fox-demon, he moved to another box and hefted it up. "I just wish I knew what that was all about."

Looking off in the direction the girls had disappeared in, Miroku frowned heavily. "As do I…"

* * *

_What's going on here?_ Kagome wondered as she followed Sango past the edge of the village. The Demon Slayer hasn't spoken, hadn't even looked at her the entire time they had been walking. Had just kept moving like she had to. Like she was either desperate to get somewhere…or get away from something.

Finally, the two girls arrived in a secluded place just beyond the various fields of crops, bordering the forest that was the home of the Bone-Eater's Well. Sango stopped next to one of the trees and leaned against it, her face haunted and filled with confusion. It was this face, worn by a friend that almost never let her fears and concerns get the better of her, that really and truly drove home how bad a state she was in. "Sango…" Kagome began uncertainly, moving a bit closer to her friend. "What's wrong? What'd you want to talk to me about?"

Sango didn't say anything right away. Instead, she continued to lean against the tree in silence, as if the ability to speak her concerns was still beyond her. Eventually, however, she slowly turned towards Kagome, her eyes rife with various emotions. "Kagome…" she nervously began, "you…you heard what Michiru said in that message, right?"

"You mean, about how he saw a vision of you after he got back home?" After Sango nodded to this, Kagome frowned perplexedly. "Why? Is there something wrong?"

"I…" Sango began, only for her mouth to clamp shut. A slight tremble running through her, she took a deep breath before forcing out what she needed to say. "Kagome…the same thing happened to me. Shortly after we buried Utsugi at the Kururugi cemetery."

A hushed gasp escaping her lips, Kagome looked at her friend in astonishment. "What?" she gaped, unsure if she had heard Sango correctly. "A-are you serious?"

"It happened exactly as Michiru said in the message!" Sango burst, shaking her head as she spoke. "We were heading back from Kururugi Village when Michiru just…appeared from out of nowehere! He put his arm around me and said that he'd be back some day before he disappeared!" Pausing to collect her thoughts, she forced a greater measure of control into her voice before continuing. "Then…that night I dreamt I was in a strange place. There were a lot of people dressed in clothes like you wear surrounding what looked like a bonfire with a priest next to it…and Michiru was there as well! I bumped into him, apologized, and when I saw his face…I woke up."

Now it was Kagome shaking her head in disbelief. "Sango…" she muttered, unsure of what to make of this. "I…why didn't you tell us this before?"

"I thought it was just a dream! That it…it didn't mean anything!" Sango explained, her eyes downcast. "And as for…before…" Practically biting her lip to keep just anything from rushing out, the Demon Slayer visibly gathered her strength before continuing. "I don't know. Michiru had just…disappeared, was back in your world…I thought I was just imagining things. That maybe…I just didn't want to believe that he was really gone…forever."

Kagome automatically nodded her understanding, but then stopped when her friend's words truly registered with her. The fact that Sango was so upset over Michiru returning to his time that she could possibly think that she would delude herself in such a fashion was an even larger shock than her current behavior. _I mean, I know we were all upset when Michiru disappeared…Shippo started crying like crazy, and InuYasha…he was such a grump until I told him that Michiru was at the Well…but this…! _Shaking her head in disbelief, Kagome quickly considered the matter. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Sango was in love with Miroku, that there was no real reason for her to be this upset about Michiru or these visions. _At least…that I know of…_

With this thought twisting in her mind, Kagome cocked her head to the side and asked, "Sango…did something happen between you and Michiru?"

"What?" Sango got out, then giving a quick shake of her head. "No, of course not!"

Kagome was not satisfied by this. "Really? You're sure?"

"I'm telling you, nothing happened!" Sango insisted. Then her face faltered with uncertainty. "Except…"

"Except?" Kagome persisted, pouncing on this word like a cat.

Sighing, Sango just looked at her friend with a face filled with unresolved conflict. "Do you remember what happened back on Asagiri Island? You know, when we got caught in that explosion?"

"How could I forget?" Kagome asked incredulously. "We all got separated getting away from there, and you got really hurt saving Michiru from the blast!"

Sango nodded slowly before continuing to speak. "Well, after that, I was so banged up I couldn't move. Michiru was trying to heal me with his magic, but…it was taking time, and…while he was helping me, Utsugi and Kagura showed up." Sighing wearily, Sango looked straight at Kagome. "I…I couldn't move, so…I told Michiru to leave me. To try and find the rest of you, but…he wouldn't listen to me. Instead, he…confronted Utsugi and Kagura. He was going to fight them, all on his own!"

"What?" Kagome squawked, briefly wondering when these shocks would come to an end. "B-but he…!"

"Didn't stand a chance?" Sango concluded, to which Kagome dumbly nodded. "That's what I tried to tell him, but he just wouldn't listen! He just…stood there, ready to fight…for me." Smiling fondly as this memory played itself out before her eyes, the Demon Slayer then returned to the present. "Fortunately, Kikyo showed up and drove them off, and she gave me some medicine that got me back on my feet. But…before the rest of you found us…"

"Yes?" Kagome prodded, not liking where this was going.

"Michiru…he held me in his arms," Sango continued, her eyes lighting up with fondness. "It was like he'd…he'd become someone totally different, and I hadn't even noticed. He'd been so strong and brave, and I…my heart felt so strange…like…" As she tried to put her feelings into words, her face collapsed with sorrow as other memories came to the fore. "And then when…when Utsugi died and Michiru…started returning to your world…I didn't want him to go, Kagome! I know! I know that the whole point of trying to track down Utsugi was to get him to send Michiru back where he belonged, but I didn't want to lose him! He…"

"None of us did, Sango," Kagome assured her softly.

"He saved my brother, Kagome. And he saved me from killing Kohaku, and…" Words failing her once more, Sango shook her head miserably. "And before he disappeared…when he said that…that…!"

"That…he loved you," Kagome concluded. "Oh, Sango…"

"Kagome, I don't know what's going on! I don't know how this is…even possible!" Sango let out, her expression like that of a little girl, fear and confusion written across her features. "What am I going to do? What…what am I supposed to do?"

"I…I don't know, Sango," Kagome admitted somberly as she went up to her friend. "I really wish I did." Sango didn't say anything to this. Instead, she wrapped her arms about the reborn priestess, and allowed her confusion to run down her cheeks. The two of them stayed like that for a long time, with Kagome conveying as much comfort to her tormented friend as she could.

* * *

Later that day, as the sun was setting across the horizon, Sango went to the house where she and Kohaku were using while they were staying in Kaede's village. Her tears had all been shed, and her fears and confusion, while still with her, had been shoved out of the way for the time being, allowing her to keep going. To deal with more immediate issues, such as her brother and his recovery.

As Sango looked at the tiny house that was currently abandoned, left to let when its former occupants passed away during one of the many attacks by demons on the village. And while the house hadn't been maintained since then, it made a perfect temporary residence for herself, Kohaku, and Kirara. A perfect place for Kohaku to rest and relax as he slowly recovered.

There were still many concerns Sango still held about her brother's path to recovery, both physical and mental. The Shikon Jewel Shard that Naraku had placed in him remained where it was, with all its evil spells and power still in place. It was only the absence of its master that kept Kohaku from once again becoming a slave. But at the same time, they didn't dare remove the Shard; as much as Sango didn't want to think of it, her brother was physically dead, with only the Shard's power keeping him at least partially alive. Then there was the many evil things that her brother had carried out under Naraku's command, horrors that she knew her brother would eventually have to cope with when his memories returned in full.

Still, even with all these fears, as well as her concerns about Michiru and her feelings for him, when Sango entered the tiny house, she was able to relax. Her heart warmed by the sight of her gentle brother playing with Kirara, who was as glad as she was to have him back.

"Hey, you two," Sango beamed as she approached.

"Oh, Sango!" Kohaku greeted her warmly. For a moment, Sango frowned inwardly, wishing that he would call her 'sister' once more. But with his memories still hazy, he felt uncomfortable referring to her that way. While she was thinking of times past when they had lived in the Demon Slayer Village, more innocent times, Kohaku looked at the objects she held in her hands. An odd look on his face, he asked, "Uh…what is that stuff?"

"It was getting late, so I brought us some dinner," Sango explained, setting down the items on a table. "And…well, this is food from Kagome's world."

"They eat metal there?" Kohaku protested, looking at one of the strange objects Sango had. "And…whatever those other things are?"

Smiling, Sango well understood her brother's confusion, having been flustered by some of the strange things she had seen Kagome bringing with her through the Well. "Well, in Kagome's world, they use sealed metal objects they call cans in order to store meats and vegetables. Apparently, that helps them stay fresh for much longer. According to Kagome, fish stored this way can last up to four years if necessary."

"Four _years?_" Kohaku repeated disbelievingly. "That's impossible! Um…isn't it?"

"I'm not sure, but Kagome is," Sango replied, herself having had a hard time believing some of the things Kagome told her about these strange items. "They also dry out all kinds of food, which she said helps as well. Then all you need do is add boiling water and let it sit for a few minutes."

Leveling a skeptical eye at his sister, Kohaku asked, "You're kidding me, aren't you?"

"Well, why don't you try some for yourself?" Sango asked as she handed her brother one of the cups of noodles that InuYasha simply adored. While Kohaku eyed the noodles dubiously, Sango placed the small can on the floor and used a strange artifact Kagome had called a can opener to pry open the sealed metal. Sango had seen InuYasha try to pry one of these things open with his claws alone, and hadn't gotten very far. He had gotten so frustrated with it that all he had succeeded in doing was making a big mess. That was how she had learned that some cans needed to be opened with one of these strange devices. With surprisingly little effort, the lid of the can peeled away, and the moment Kirara smelled the fish inside of the can, she jumped over to it and started eating.

While Kirara was devouring her meal, Kohaku was hesitantly sampling his noodles. "Wow! This is good!" he declared, his face lighting up in surprise. Before he dug out another helping, he looked up at his sister. "But…isn't this supposed to be for while we're traveling?"

Sango smiled at her little brother, despite this reminder that he would once again be facing danger. When he had learned that they would soon be leaving to search for the remaining Jewel Shards, he had volunteered to join them. And despite the fact that this meant that they would remain close during their journeys, the terror of losing her brother to some demon hungry for a Jewel Shard was still lurking in the back of her mind. "Don't worry about that," she told him, putting the more unpleasant things to the side. "This Lord Wyvern sent us plenty of food. It's no problem."

"Well…if you're sure!" Kohaku then proceeded to eat to his heart's content as Sango continued to smile. As she watched her brother, she found her thoughts wandering somewhat to someone else entirely. To someone whose kindly, gentle heart reminded her in many of ways Kohaku, someone she had enjoyed spending her time with. Someone she had practiced and had helped train to become a stronger fighter, and had helped to salve her heart when she had been hurting.

When Sango had first met Michiru, she had found him to be a nice enough person, despite his apparent weakness of body. Then when they had traveled to Tsuzumi Village, he had gone off on his own and stumbled upon Kohaku, and had almost been captured by Kagura and Kohaku while Sango had been helpless to do anything but watch. She had gotten closer to Michiru after that, and at his request, had begun training with him frequently, and she had watched him try so hard to become stronger, to hone his powers to a finer edge. Kirara had liked him, too, which was unusual, seeing as the demon cat didn't get close to people easily. Even the incident where Michiru had caught her taking a bath seemed funny now. It had been Sango's own fault for telling Michiru she was just going to be doing the laundry, not wanting it to become public knowledge that she intended to take a bath. After all, if Miroku had found that out, he would most certainly have come peeping. Michiru would have respected her privacy, Sango knew that, but she had gotten used to keeping her bath times a secret from the others. So when Michiru had come to help carry the laundry…

"Um, Sango?" Kohaku interrupted her thoughts. "Is something wrong?"

Startled from her thoughts, Sango jumped and looked at her brother. "Huh?" she started before recovering. "Oh, it's nothing. I was just…thinking of a friend…"

"You mean Michiru?" Kohaku asked innocently.

Again, Sango jumped, her self-control taking another hit. "W-what?"

"Well, he's the only friend of ours I know of who isn't here in the village," Kohaku told her earnestly. "He's in that other world, right?"

Blinking a few times as she realized that her concerns weren't so readily on display, Sango slowly settled down. "Oh…right! Of course…"

Frowning somewhat, Kohaku asked, "You think he's okay?"

"Well, InuYasha and Kagome said he's doing well," Sango answered, the various feelings she tried to keep under control rising up once again. "Why?"

"Well…I kind of remember…hurting him before," Kohaku admitted, his voice heavy with shame. A shame that Sango understood all too well; she had helped tend the sickle wounds that Kohaku had inflicted on Michiru herself, wounds suffered while Kohaku was under Naraku's control. Wounds suffered when Michiru had been forced to stop Sango from killing her own brother in the defense of her friends.

"Don't worry," Sango said, as much to herself as to her brother. "I hear the doctors in his world are very skilled. I'm sure Michiru is fine."

"It's just that…I'd like to see him again, and tell him I'm sorry for what I did," Kohaku confessed as he looked up at her. "Do you think he'll ever come back?"

Her heart beating strangely, Sango allowed herself to think of the times she had spent with the Shikigami User from the future. "I hope so, Kohaku," Sango told her brother, something that was a little truer than she could admit. Thoughts of how they had flown on Kirara together, of the time on Asagiri Island, the painful instant of their separation, the visions she had seen all dancing chaotically in her mind. "I truly do hope so."

* * *

"Ten powers," Michiru muttered as he looked through the books and scrolls that currently decorated his desk. "Ten aspects of nature…I _know _it's in here somewhere!"

Grunting in frustration, Michiru flipped to the next page of the book Wyvern had given him. It was late in the day, and a wearisome one since he had returned home. A day in which he had been forced to field a great many questions from his family, as well as reassure them, time and again, that he was completely fine, that he had never been in any danger, and that he hadn't fallen in with the wrong element. And a day that had doggedly kept him from exploring the inspiration he had been struck with until well after dinner.

"Come on, where is it?" Michiru fumed as he continued to search. Looking from the picture he had discovered in one of the books given him, and comparing it to various images contained within the texts gathered from the Kururugi Shrine. "I _know _I saw it in here before!" Shaking his head, he set aside the one scroll he was looking at and reached for another one. But even as he was opening it up, someone began knocking on his door. "Oh, come on, I -!" was the angry words that tore their way free of his mouth. But even as he spoke, his conscious mind caused him to smack himself in the face, pain spurring on guilt as he turned towards the door. "Uh…I mean…who is it?"

"It's me, bro," came the gentle voice of Kaname. The door to his room slowly opened, revealing the sad face of his twin. "Umm…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you, but…"

"No, no, it's okay!" Michiru apologized, feeling like a first-rate heel for snapping at his sister, who had been worried about him since last night. Shaking his head tiredly, he rose up from his desk and went to her. "I'm sorry, Kaname, I…I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm just…tired, that's all."

Looking hard at her brother, Kaname slowly shook her head. "No, it's just that," she told him, meaning every word. "What happened out there, Michiru?"

"I…" Michiru started, confused by the question. But then he forced a smile onto his face and asked, "I already told you about what happened. I got out of the civic center before things went crazy, and then…"

"No, bro. I mean what _really_ happened to you." Her face taut with worry, Kaname moved in closer to Michiru. "Look…I know there's something going on with you, and…if you want to keep it to yourself, then…I guess that's your business," she told him, her manner making it clear just how much this admission cost her. "But I saw what happened on the news today, bro. And more importantly, I saw how you looked when you got back this morning."

"Kaname…" Michiru began.

"You were a _mess,_ Michiru! You looked like you'd tried fight off a dozen sumo wrestlers or something!" Kaname persisted. "And your clothes were all ripped and dirty…what happened out there, anyway? Did you run into a gang…or is it something else?" Looking hard at his sister, Michiru struggled to think of something to say to her, some way of soothing her fears. But even as he tried to think of the right words to do so, she moved passed him, shaking her head as she went up to his desk. "And this stuff you're looking at…what _is _this, anyway?"

"Uh…just…research!" Michiru got out, panicking as Kaname studied the titles of the books he had been reading, as well the scrolls he had gotten. Knowing full well that he would likely have even bigger questions to answer if his parents found out about this, he decided it would be best to get Kaname out of there as quickly as possible.

"Research?" Kaname repeated incredulously.

"Um, yeah," Michiru tried again. "I was…trying to learn more about the history of our Shrine, and…well, I found some pretty interesting stuff." Doing his best to spin doctor his story into something more believable, he added, "Anyway, it turns out that, back in Feudal Japan, our family was renowned for their mastery of Shikigami."

This took Kaname by surprise. "Shikigami? For real?"

"Oh, yeah!" Michiru smiled, glad to be able to inject some truth into his tale. "They were famous for it." Doing his best to downplay the significance of what he was doing, he shrugged and flipped through a couple pages of one of the books. "Anyway, I was just curious, and…"

"But…why this sudden interest in ancient superstition?" Kaname demanded, picking up one of the books and leafing through it. "You've never really cared about this stuff before…so why now?"

Groaning as he was once again forced to fake it, Michiru took the book from Kaname's hand. "Well…it's like this," he stalled, making it up as he went along. "Kagome – she's a friend of mine who lives at the Higurashi Shrine – her family has a…lot of history to it as well." Looking this way and that, looking anywhere except for into his sister's eyes, he continued to hem and haw. "And, well…we did some talking, and…I just decided that I should…learn more about our family's history, too. That's all."

For the longest time, Kaname stood there, a cruel look of suspicion on her face that cut deeply into Michiru's heart. But even as he tried to think of something else to say to her, she gasped and brought her hand to her mouth. While Michiru was wondering what exactly had caused this reaction, he was taken by surprise yet again; his irate sister, who had been suspicious of him for time now, leaned back and smiled. "Oh, I see…!"

Her smile broadening, Kaname took a step back and giggled. Which was about as far south of things Michiru had expected her to as was possible. "Uh…you see what?"

"Of course! Why didn't I think of it before?" Kaname wondered. "Your going out late at night, these friends of yours that you never discuss! It all makes sense!"

"It does?" Michiru squeaked out.

"Sure! You're seeing someone, aren't you?" Kaname declared gleefully. "I don't believe this! You've _actually_ got a girlfriend!"

Michiru's jaw plummeted right to the floor as his mind emptied out in its entirety. On the one hand, he was overwhelmed with relief that he wasn't going to have to deal with the guilt of upsetting his sister again, not to mention that she had reached a conclusion that was sane, rational, and basically wrong. On the other hand, however, if she mentioned this to his parents and they started calling the Higurashi Shrine, asking questions…!

"Uh, nonononono! It's nothing like _that!"_ Michiru protested.

"Hey, it's okay, bro! I understand! You just want to impress your new girlfriend!" Kaname grinned, her good mood growing by leaps and bounds. As Michiru sputtered helplessly, trying to come up with something else he could tell her, his sister went on obliviously. "I have to admit, I'm kind of jealous of you, though. Why, just the other day, Reina from our school? We were on the bus heading home, and she was teasing me about my not having a boyfriend yet!"

_You, too, huh?_ was the first thing to pop into Michiru's head, recalling a similar conversation he had just before he had been plunged into the Feudal Era. Then he shook his head in an attempt to get it back into functional order. "Kaname, it's not…I mean, we're just _friends!_ That's all!"

"Oh, right, right. Whatever you say, bro," Kaname smiled teasingly. Then his sister turned on her heel and started out the door. "Well, I guess I shouldn't keep you from your research. Especially after your…long day." And with that, she gave him once last smile, winked impishly, and closed the door behind her.

As for Michiru, he stood there, unblinking, completely in shock as he tried to make sense of this confrontation with his sister. "Uh…did that really happen?" he asked aloud, too numbed to think to himself.

Sighing loudly, Michiru finally decided to sit back down. _Does Kaname really think that I've got some kind of secret girlfriend?_ he found himself wondering. _I guess that's better than her finding out the truth about what I've been doing, but still...maybe it was some kind of joke?_ Shaking his head, he found himself thinking back to when he and his sister had been younger, and given to a great deal more foolishness. There had been a time when such joking exchanges and teasing had flown between them with a great deal of frequency. And while those pranks weren't played with the frequency that they had been, they still happened every now and again.

_Maybe it's just her way of getting back at me for not telling her the truth,_ Michiru thought as he looked down at his desk. _That sounds about…right…for…what?_ Practically throwing himself forward over his desk, Michiru stared down in amazement at what had crashed his train of thought. Somehow, at some point, either him or Kaname must've knocked one of the scrolls, and thus caused it to open up to the critical section that Michiru had been searching for. The section that listed the various powers of nature that could be called upon by the Shikigami.

"That's it! The ten powers!" Michiru gasped, everything else forgotten in his sudden delight. Whipping back to the book he had been studying, he compared the different pictures. Images of the ten spirits found within the pentagram that was at the heart of his family's magic. "Let's see here…fire, water, wind, light, thunder – _wood!_ That's it!"

As quickly as he could, Michiru double-checked the information before him, and the triple- and quadruple-checked it, just to be safe. And each time he read it, his heart leapt with delight. "Yes…I've got it!" he gasped, barely able to believe that the answer was now before him. And it was so simple. So unbelievably _simple._

Of course, in his mind, he knew that this was only the beginning. Learning of the particular Shikigami he needed to awaken, as well as some of the spells that it could perform, were only the first part of his challenge. He still needed to call forth this particular Shikigami, and master its power before he could return to the Feudal Era.

And yet, in that moment, he couldn't have cared less.

"_Yesss! I've got it! I've got it!_ Michiru cried out in delight as he leapt from his seat. He spun about and did a crazy dance of joy that left him twirling and bounding about his room, until at last he fell down on top of his bed, still laughing. He laughed and cried, he asked himself time and time again if this could possibly be a dream. He did all of these things until at last the tidal surge of emotion settled down…and its wake, a precious face smiled down upon him once again.

_I'm coming, Sango…_ Michiru thought, unable to restrain his delight. _I'm finally coming back to you…!

* * *

_

Author's Notes: Everything's in place for Michiru's return! I hope that Wyvern's theories make sense to everybody out there! Please, read and review!

I suppose some of you out there may be wondering why I came up with such a convoluted plan for getting Michiru back to the Feudal Era. Now, it's true, I could have saved myself some trouble by bringing in Belldandy from _Oh, My Goddess!_, or have Michiru discover Happosai's magic mirror from _Ranma ½._ But to be truthful, I honestly didn't like the idea of having Michiru rely on luck or out-of-this-world circumstances to help him. I wanted him to be able to find a way back to the others using his own power. And while Wyvern may have given some help, from here on in, Michiru's going to have make his way on his own steam.

As for how exactly Michiru manages to get back…you'll just have to wait until next time to find out!


	6. Kaname's Awakening

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Chapter 6: Kaname's Awakening

"So you've managed to find three more Jewel Shards, huh?" Michiru asked his friends. Once again, the Shikigami User was sitting with his friends at Kagome's house, enjoying dinner and the company of his fellow adventurers.

"That's right!" Kagome smiled, holding up the bottle of Shards that hung about her neck in one hand, the compass Wyvern had given her in the other. "I swear, it's so easy! All I have to do is think, 'Jewel Shard', and bang! The compass points them out!" Grinning with delight at the gyroscopic device she held, she leaned over the table closer to Michiru. "It doesn't matter how far away they are or whatever!"

"I'll say!" InuYasha grinned around a mouthful of food. "It sure is a lot simpler than what we had to deal with before! Always wandering around, hoping to get lucky and bump into a demon with a Shard!" Swallowing loudly, the half-demon looked at the compass like it was gold. "I swear, we spend more time _getting _to wherever the Jewel Shard then we do actually getting it!"

"Not that _that _part's gotten any easier," Kagome admitted ruefully. "The last Shard we found? The demon that had grabbed it was this huge monster that looked like a cross between an ox and an octopus! It took forever for us to take it down!"

Michiru's expression became one of concern at this. "It didn't hurt anybody, did it?"

"Eh, we got a few bangs and bruises, but nothing serious," InuYasha informed him. Then his face split into a feral grin. "But man, I wish you could've been there to see it when we brought that bastard down! Sango and Kirara came at it from above, and blasted off a couple of its tentacles, and then Kohaku took out one of its eyes with his kusarigama!"

"Yeah, and that's when that thing started pumping out this huge miasma that started melting the forest!" Kagome recalled with a shudder.

"My goodness!" Mrs. Higurashi grimaced.

"Don't worry, Mom! Miroku was able to generate some kind of spiritual barrier that shielded us long enough for Shippo and I to use one of our combo moves!" Kagome assured them.

"Yeah, that was pretty good, Kagome. You two left that thing covered in arrows!" InuYasha admitted. Then he drove his fist into his hand. "And while that monster was screaming its head off, I got in there and cut out the Jewel Shard, and it was all over!"

"I'm just glad that you all came out of that little adventure in one piece!" Grandpa declared as he took a sip of tea. "Goodness graciousness! You've only been away for a week, and look at the amount of trouble you get into!"

Shooting her grandfather a rueful look, Kagome replied, "Yeah, I know. Though to be honest, it's kind of hard to believe that it's really been a week since we were here last!"

_I know what you mean, Kagome,_ Michiru agreed silently, despite the fact that he was perfectly aware that a week's time had passed since he had last been there. And it had been an exhaustive week for him.

It had started out pretty much like a regular day for Michiru. As he had done just about every day that week, he had locked himself into a routine of studying and practice, focusing his efforts on the tiny area of magic that was key to his plans to return to the Feudal Era, when Kagome had called him on his cell phone to let him know that they were back. After a brief conversation, she had gladly invited him over to her place to spend the day with them, an invitation that he had been quick and happy to accept.

It had been a full day, to be sure, and unlike the last time Michiru had visited the Higurashi Shrine, there had been no crisis or catastrophe to ruin the day. Quite the opposite, in fact; he and his friends had been able to relax and catch up on what had been happening since last time, as well as simply enjoy each other's company. And when Kyle Wyvern arrived that afternoon as he had promised them, they spent time looking through the various artifacts that he brought them.

"Time does tend to fly when you're enjoying life," Wyvern commented from where he sat. "I can't tell you the number of times I thought I had spent a couple days researching an ancient city or exploring a temple, only to find out that more than a week had passed and it was time for me to move on!"

Wyvern was the recipient of several strange looks at this point. "Uh…right," Kagome got out. Pushing that particular subject aside, she then said, "By the way, thanks for bringing us all those artifacts of yours. I really do appreciate it."

"It's no problem, Kagome. As I said before, I think it's best if such objects are used as they should be," Wyvern reminded her. "But I must admit to being curious. How is it that you can pick out which objects are endowed with magical powers from the rest so easily?"

Tilting her head to the side, Kagome replied, "Sorry, but to be honest, I don't really understand how or why I can see and sense things like that. All I really know is that…I can." Pausing to hold up the compass, she elaborated, "For example, the compass? You can't see it, but when I look at it, there's a faint light surrounding it."

"Hmm. I see. A spiritual form of sight, as it were," Wyvern mused thoughtfully. "You know, it really is too bad that we have to keep your adventures a secret. I'd wager that there would be several books in them. And given the role you people have played in keeping the world safe in the past, it seems somewhat unfair that you don't get the recognition you deserve."

"Hmph. Whoever said that life was fair?" InuYasha demanded.

Making a thoughtful sound, Grandpa commented, "He does have a point, however. No matter how you look at it, you and your friends are quite the heroes. And that's something this world has precious few of."

"Here, here," Wyvern concurred.

As Mrs. Higurashi and Sota seconded this sentiment, Michiru sat back, smiling all the time. A smile that was bolstered by the secret he was keeping from everyone there, a secret that he was hard-pressed not to break to them; that tomorrow, when they returned to the Feudal Era, he would be returning with them.

Armed with Wyvern's theories and the information he had uncovered, Michiru had thrown himself into his training with reckless abandon. It had taken days of hard work, of frustrating training, trying to unlock the hidden power within himself that he needed. And to be honest, he still had no idea how he had managed to succeed. Perhaps it had been a fluke. Perhaps the spirits that linked him to the forces of nature had sensed how truly desperate he was, and had responded to his burning desires by giving him what he needed to make his wishes a reality. But how or why it had happened, Michiru ultimately didn't care. All he knew was that a new Shikigami had been awakened. Its power was at his command. And armed with the techniques he had found hidden within the Kururugi Shrine, he had created his own key to the past.

_I've finally done it!_ Michiru found himself thinking, and not for the first time. _I'm really going to be going back there! I…I can finally see Sango again!_ The Demon Slayer's lovely visage popping into his mind again, the Shikigami User was hard pressed to keep his smile from expanding into a grin that would split his face in half.

Losing himself in these wonderful thoughts, Michiru very nearly missed it when Wyvern asked him, "By the way, Michiru…how's your own research coming?" Sitting up somewhat, the Kururugi boy frowned his confusion at the American. "You know? You were trying to find a way to use the Well? How's that coming?"

Freezing up at this, Michiru's mind momentarily went blank on him. "Uh…" he started, stalling until his mind recovered enough to cook up something intelligent for him to say. "It's…coming along."

"Really?" InuYasha asked. Turning towards the half-demon, Michiru saw a look of genuine interest on his face. "Then you've figured out how to use the Well?"

"Um…not exactly," Michiru lied desperately. Feeling an edge of guilt cutting into him, he held up his hands helplessly. "I mean…I think I've got it…mostly figured out, but…I – I still have a few things I…need to test first."

"Then you've at least made some progress, then? Excellent!" Wyvern beamed. "I do hope that my theories regarding the Well were of some assistance to you."

"Uh, yes. Yes, they were. Same with the books you gave me," Michiru replied, grateful for this chance to tell the unvarnished truth.

"Oh, right. Mom told us about that stuff you said about the Well. About how it's because of InuYasha and Kikyo that the Bone-Eater's Well joins our two times," Kagome noted, looking thoughtfully at the author. "Just out of curiosity, why didn't you tell us all that before we left for the Feudal Era?"

"For a very simple reason, Kagome. I'd momentarily forgotten," Wyvern admitted straightforwardly. "I have to confess to possessing a somewhat scattershot mind. When I'm focused on something in particular, I completely forget about everything else. Drives some of my colleagues and associates to distraction at times." Chuckling to himself, the American returned his attention to Michiru. "Still, I'm glad that I was able to help you, Michiru."

"Same here," InuYasha admitted. Then he focused on his friend, and gave him a suspicious look. "But speaking of people not telling stuff…why didn't you tell us before that you've got the Well figured out?"

"Because…well, I'm not completely sure. Not yet," Michiru admitted, somewhat abashed. "And…well, this might seem stupid, but…I didn't really want to talk about it until I was sure I've got something that works."

And again, this was true. For while Michiru had the utmost confidence that his current endeavor would be successful in allowing him to use the Well like his friends, there was still a worrisome part of his mind that niggled away at him, insisting on culling up all kinds of possible unknowns that could very well cause all his plans to fall flat on their face. And while these doubts were frightening in their own way, the possibility of then having to deal with his friends after such an event…

_I know that they'd all feel bad about if I messed this up. And I don't want that,_ Michiru thought. A bit of shame eating at him, he then added to this, _Besides, I…I couldn't deal with them feeling sorry for me._ Frowning inwardly, he pictured that scenario. Of not only failing, but failing before his friends, and having them possibly heap their condolences on him._ I wouldn't want that. I'd rather just get going again and try something else._

And it was this thought that kept Michiru from telling his friends just how extensive his efforts had been as InuYasha grinned and said, "Maybe, but I sure hope you pull this off! It'd be great to have you back with us!" Then he narrowed an eye at his friend and added, "And I know Sango and the others would be glad to see you, too!"

Sango. Just the mentioning of this name was enough to set Michiru's cheeks burning red. And was probably why Kagome glared at the half-demon. "InuYasha! What did I tell you before? Don't do that!"

"Don't do what?" InuYasha asked.

Groaning in disgust, Kagome clenched her fist as veins bulged from her head. "Don't you remember? We talked about this before!" Shaking her head in disgust, she looked past the half-demon and murmured, "I'm sorry, Michiru. But…"

"No, it's okay, Kagome!" Michiru broke in, holding up his hands in a dissuasive manner. "But…could you two try not to fight right now, okay? Remember, I have to get going soon. To meet my sister?"

"That's right, I'd almost forgotten about that," Mrs. Higurashi chimed in. "Her name was…Kaname, right?"

"That's right," Michiru confirmed. "Kaname and some of her friends from school decided to go out to see a movie and do a little shopping." Then another bit of guilt hit him, and he added, "And…well, the truth is, with everything that's been going, with my training and that mess with Ryokage, I…I really haven't spent as much time with her as I used to."

"Oh," Kagome murmured sadly. "I'm sorry about that. Really."

"No, no. It's mostly my fault," Michiru admitted. "Anyway, I promised her that I'd meet up with her at this store she and her friends would be going to, and that I'd walk her home."

"That was certainly sweet of you," Mrs. Higurashi decided.

"Well, I figure it's the least I can do," Michiru shrugged helplessly. "I mean…I haven't exactly been the best brother lately."

Kagome nodded to this. "I know how that feels," she admitted before looking over at Sota.

While the youngest Higurashi was blushing somewhat at his sister's attention, his eyes lit up. "Hey, I was just thinking of something," he began, looking intently at Michiru. "Do you think it's possible that your sister has magical powers like you?"

Of all the things Michiru could have imagined Sota asking, this hadn't even come close to being one of them. "Uh…" he got out, taken completely off guard by this inquiry. "W-why do you ask?"

"Well, I was just wondering, that's all," Sota said by means of explanation. "Besides, you two _are_ brother and sister, right?"

"That doesn't mean anything, kid," InuYasha stated firmly. "Just because people have the same blood, don't mean they have the same powers."

Frowning somewhat at the half-demon, his words clearly a bit harsher than she was happy with, Kagome then turned to her brother. "InuYasha's got a point. I mean…no offense, but you're _my _brother, and you don't have any special spiritual powers."

Grandpa looked ready to protest this, but Sota spoke up first. "Yeah, but Michiru's powers aren't spiritual. They're magical, right?" Turning back to face the Shikigami User, he persisted. "And didn't you say that your Shrine has lots of information about using Shikigami? Doesn't that mean that there were others in your family who had the same magic that you have?"

"Um…maybe," Michiru slowly conceded. "Kakuju and Utsugi were both my ancestors, and they definitely had Shikigami powers. But that…doesn't necessarily mean that _everyone_ descended from them would have those powers."

"Yeah, I know," Sota casually agreed. "But you and Kaname are twins, right? And I've heard all kinds of weird things about twins."

This certainly got Michiru's attention. Something that was intensified when Wyvern chimed in. "As have I. I've actually encountered numerous legends and magic revolving around twin children, both fraternal and identical. Especially in cases of brother/sister twins, which can symbolize yin and yang," he explained. "In any case, if what you've said about your family is true, then it seems to me that there is at least a chance that your sister may have inherited the same abilities."

Michiru's mouth popped open, already prepared to protest this. That Kaname had never displayed any signs that she had the same kind of powers that he had. But before he could actually say this, he remembered that he himself had been just like any other ordinary teenager until the day he had been sent back in time. Until he had been faced with a life-threatening peril that had awakened his hidden powers. "Uh…" he muttered, struggling with this possibility and its ramifications. "I dunno. Maybe, I guess. But even if she does, I'm not sure how I'd find out, or even wake her powers up."

"Good point. There's still a lot we don't know about magic, or your Shikigami powers," Kagome concurred. "Have you told her about any of this? About your powers or us?"

Michiru shook his head to this. "I still haven't thought of a way to tell my parents or anyone about what happened to me." Then he frowned thoughtfully. "Besides, I…if I did that, then I'd have to tell them about you and InuYasha as well. And, well…I don't have the right to tell them about that sort of thing."

"What are you talking about? Of _course_ you do!" InuYasha retorted immediately. "It's not like we're stopping you or anything!"

Touched by this gesture, Michiru sighed. "Thanks, InuYasha. But…I still don't feel very comfortable with that idea," he explained, turning to look at the Higurashis. "I don't know how my parents would react, and…the last thing I want is to make trouble for anyone. Including Kagome and her family."

"I appreciate that, Michiru," Kagome told him. "Alright. But I don't want you thinking that you absolutely have to keep this secret from your family. Not if it winds up causing you a lot of trouble."

"I agree," Mrs. Higurashi nodded. "You should be able to trust your own family."

Pondering this, Michiru lowered his eyes. On the one hand, he wanted nothing more than to be able to trust his parents, his sister. But still, a part of him cautioned him that there was a great deal that could go wrong in such a situation. As much as he loved his family, he simply had no way of knowing how exactly they would react to something of this magnitude. And as he already said, if he told them the truth and it went badly, then it wouldn't just be him that would be hurt. He knew that they had gotten extremely lucky with Wyvern; he could have very easily blamed them for Ryokage's escape, and caused them a great deal of trouble of the worst kind.

As these possibilities weighed heavily on his mind, Michiru watched as a gentle hand came to rest on his own. He looked up and saw Mrs. Higurashi standing next to him. "But I think we all understand how difficult this is for you," she told him. "So whatever your decision…we will respect it."

"No arguments here," InuYasha agreed.

"Indeed. And if it makes you feel any better, you're not the only who sometimes has trouble dealing with his or her family," Wyvern explained. "My niece has often similar difficulties."

"Your niece?" Michiru repeated blankly. "Wait. You have a _niece?"_

"Oh, yes, indeed," Wyvern confirmed in warm, jovial manner. "I can't tell you the number of times she's come to me with problems that had to do with her parents. As a matter of fact, there have been times that, when she's wanted to get away from them, I've brought her with me on my expeditions." His lips curling at these memories, the American shrugged helplessly. "Who knows? Perhaps you might wind up meeting her one of these days."

"That'd be nice," Kagome smiled enthusiastically.

"Uh…right," InuYasha grumbled, considerably less so. Shaking his head, the half-demon returned his focus to Michiru. "So anyway, uh…look, whether or not you tell your folks about what you've been doing, that's your business, okay?" After obviously forcing himself to say this, his expression softened somewhat, becoming one of reassurance. "But we…I don't want you getting in trouble with your family, just because of us."

The two friends looked at each other for a time, until at last Michiru nodded. "Alright," he replied, feeling a bit better. "Still, I won't tell them unless I feel like I have to. I wouldn't feel right about it, otherwise."

"That's fair enough," Kagome decided. "Now, c'mon, everyone! Let's try and relax a bit before we have to get going! We've spent too much time worrying as it is!"

"Heh! You won't get any arguments on that from me!" InuYasha declared, and with that, the small group began talking about various things. InuYasha talked about some of their earlier adventures, such as the battle with the Thunder Brothers, as well as his fight with Ryokoutsei. Kagome talked about more emotional matters, such as their encounter with the gentle half-demon Jinenji, a farmer well known for his herbal remedies, as well as Shiori, a half-demon girl whose gift to them had granted Tetsusaiga the power to shatter virtually any barrier, save for those created by Utsugi. As for Michiru, his stories were much more limited. All he could really tell his friends were of moments where he was separated from them, such as when they had returned to the Castle where they had been previous defeated by Naraku, and how he and Sesshomaru had battled various demons, as well as their encounter with the undead Toki, one of many victims of Naraku's evil, just like the samurai that had sacrificed themselves to save them.

Finally, after much talking and much cheer, remembering good times and bad times alike, Michiru reluctantly looked out the window, and saw that the sun was setting. "Well…as much as I hate to say it…I'd better get going," he was forced to admit. A quick look at his watched confirmed this observation. "I'm going to be _so _late if I don't leave right now!"

Various sounds of disappointment were head, mostly especially from InuYasha. "I understand," Kagome murmured as Michiru got to his feet. "Before you go, here." Reaching towards her backpack, the modern priestess brought forth the digital recorder. "It's got messages from everyone back in the Feudal Era."

"Thanks, Kagome," Michiru beamed, looking at the device in his hand. Wondering what kinds of things that had been said to him. Things that he soon would be able to respond to in person.

"Ah, and that reminds me. I also have something to give you," Wyvern commented bringing out a memory card like that from the digital camera he'd given Kagome. "It's a copy of the video Kagome took before. I thought that, until you can return to your friends and see them again in person, that…well, you would like to have this."

Holding out his hand, Michiru watched as Wyvern carefully deposited it into his hand. "Uh, thanks," he replied. For although he was certain that he would be able to see his friends in the past in person tomorrow, he did appreciate the thought behind this gift. "Really, I…"

"It's no problem, my friend," Wyvern told him. "And best of luck to you and your own endeavors."

"Heh. That goes double for me!" InuYasha declared as he stood. Clapping Michiru on the back, the half-demon grinned. "The sooner you manage to figure out a way to get through that damned Well, the better!"

_Don't worry about that, InuYasha. That's going to be sooner than you think!_ Michiru thought happily. What he actually said was, "I'll do my best, InuYasha." With the half-demon nodding his satisfaction, the Kururugi boy eyed Kagome. "So, uh…when are you two planning on taking off tomorrow?"

"Early morning," Kagome reported. "I'd say about…somewhere around 9:00."

"Then I'll try to be here at 8:00," Michiru informed them. "So…guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah. And you better be here!" InuYasha told him, somehow managing to say 'or else!' without actually saying it. Then he chuckled, instantly defusing whatever menace his warning might have held.

"Right," Michiru nodded before exiting the Higurashi residence. Before long, he had dashed down the steps, and was making his way along the sidewalks towards the rendezvous point.

As the Shikigami User strolled about the streets of Tokyo, his gaze was drawn to the darkening sky. A sky with very few stars, that was lit up by the many lights of the city. A sky that was so unlike the sky he had grown used to during his journey through the Feudal Era. A sky that he would soon be seeing again. A sky that already felt so close to him.

Everything that he had left behind in the Feudal Era, his friends, the people, and even the minor dangers, all of these felt so much closer. The time he had spent with his friends had brought home everything that he had gained and experienced in the past, and made it that much more real. And when he thought about tomorrow, the very real chance that he would soon see and experience all these things, it made his heart beat that much strongly.

_Of course, I probably won't be able to spend as much time there as I did the last time,_ Michiru found himself thinking as he moved along, this thought the only unhappiness he knew that night. _Even if I told Mom and Dad about what happened the last time, about my magic, there's no way they'd let me spend all that time back there. I'm not even sure how I could ever explain it all to them! And I don't even want to think about how Kaname will react to all of this!_

Wincing at the thought of such a scenario, Michiru sighed wearily before returning his gaze to the sky. Despite the fact that his friends had given him permission to tell his, he still felt uncomfortable with the idea of doing so, and if he did, he couldn't imagine such a story being received well. _Damned if I do, and damned if I don't,_ Michiru thought, the exact meaning of this expression never having been as clear to him as it was that moment.

And yet, even as he thought about the many problems he would have to deal with when the time came, Michiru's heart refused to be dissuaded. For as he thought of the world he sought to return to, of the beautiful face that had haunted his dreams and was at the heart of his yearnings, he couldn't help but feel his concerns fade away.

Soon, he would be able to see Sango again. And in the face of that, all of his other worries were as of nothing.

His thoughts continuing to drift, Michiru smiled and gave a weary shake of his head. Tomorrow and whatever it had in store for him could wait. Right now, he had to get where he was going and meet up with Kaname. _I _did _promise her that I'd try to spend some more time with her,_ he reminded himself. _Besides, it would be nice to just walk home, spend some time talking with each other…the way we used to._

With this thought in mind, Michiru continued onward, and before long, he arrived at the store where Kaname had promised to meet him. After taking a quick look at the window displays and deciding that he really wasn't interested in spending time looking at women's dresses, he proceeded to lean back against the wall and wait for his sister's arrival.

As the minutes crept past, Michiru couldn't help looking about, even darting glances at the store's wares. In particular, one satin dress of Chinese design caught his eye, causing his thoughts to drift once more. _Sango would look great in that,_ he thought, giving a slight smile as he pictured the tender warrior wearing such a garment. Despite himself, he then imagined her doing a twirl in the dress, something that resulted in his cheeks burning. _Of course…I bet she'd look great in just about anything. She…_

"Hey, bro!" came a familiar voice, drawing Michiru from his thoughts. Looking about, he saw Kaname and two other girls from their school appeared from the store. A couple bags of clothing were dangling from his sister's arm."Hope we didn't keep you waiting!"

"No, I just got here," Michiru returned easily. Looking past his sister, he waved at the other girls. "Uh, hi, Sayko. Tomo-chan."

"Hey, Michiru! Long time, no see!" Tomo-chan replied, grinned broadly as Sayko waved at him. The two girls then returned their attention to his sibling. "Well, I guess we better get going as well," she commented ruefully. "As much as I like sleeping at school, I don't want to try it in Mr. Takayama's class!"

"Not if you don't want him to use the Ruler of Doom on your head, that is!" Sayko chimed in. "See you tomorrow, Kaname?"

"Sure thing!" Kaname agreed, already waving as she walked up to Michiru. "So, you ready to head home, bro?"

Nodding, Michiru turned another look towards the girls. "See you around," he told them before turning about with his sister. Barely paying attention to them as he and Kaname started off towards home.

"So…" Michiru slowly began as they walked along. "You have a good time?"

"Sure," Kaname returned, giving her brother a look. "Why? Is there any reason I shouldn't have?" Pulling back somewhat, Michiru momentarily struggled to come up with an intelligent answer. Only to be brought short when Kaname smiled impishly. "I'm just kidding, bro! Of course I had a good time!" In short order, the Kururugi girl began telling her brother about the things she and her friends had done together, of the movie they'd seen, the various stores they had gone to, as well as stopping at the arcade and for a bite to eat. Every now and again, Michiru would break in to ask her about something, or make comment about things like how Sayko had wound up spending too much at one particular store.

As Kaname continued to go on about her day, Michiru found himself relaxing as well, simply because it was such a familiar thing for him. To just relax and enjoy the company of family, of his sister, and not think or worry about anything else.

However, it wasn't long before Kaname wound up her narrative, and looked inquiringly at her brother."So, how about you? How'd your day go?"

"Uhh…" Michiru started, his mind completely emptying as his mouth froze up. His simple enjoyment gone as he found himself struggling to recover, to try to think of something to tell Kaname. Some lie to tell to his twin sister.

After a few seconds hesitation and deciding to keep things as simple as he could, Michiru tilted his head this way and that before beginning. "Well…we didn't do a lot, really," he began, hoping to keep his narrative to a minimum. "We spent most of the day over at the Higurashi Shrine…had lunch there, talked…"

"Yeah? And who did you do it with? Your new _girlfriend,_ perhaps?" Kaname wondered, her inquiry taking on a distinctive point. "What was her name? Kagome?"

"Uh…" Michiru frowned nervously, his cheeks already burning. "I already told you, she's not my girlfriend."

Raising an eyebrow, Kaname asked, "Oh? Then whose girlfriend is she?"

Pressing his lips together, Michiru struggled to think of something he could say to this. "She's…with someone else."

"And this someone…he wouldn't happen to be another _friend_ of yours?" Kaname demanded with increasing force.

"Yes. Yes, he is," Michiru admitted.

"And what's his name?" Kaname asked, all pretense of casual curiosity dropped as what had been a simple conversation twisted into a full-blown interrogation. "This friend of yours _does _have a name, right?"

Heaving a deep sigh, Michiru replied as best as he could. "Yes, he does," he told his sister, wincing even as he spoke. "It's…InuYasha."

As much as he hated doing this, Michiru was gratified as Kaname's demanding expression was cracked with confusion. "Inu…Yasha…?" she squeaked out. For a time, she just looked at her brother, as if waiting for him to say that he had been joking. When he failed to do so, her frown returned in force. "Wh…what kind of name is that?"

"Uh…the kind his parents gave him?" Michiru replied with a bit of humor.

Kaname continued to study her brother, her frown deepening. "And what kind of guy is he? What's he like?"

"Well, he's…a good guy, but a bit impatient, and…" Michiru began, only to catch himself. "Kaname, why are we talking about this _now?_ Can't we wait until we get back home, and…"

"And you can bury yourself in more of your 'research', Michiru?" Kaname demanded, her tone more sad than angry. "Because that's all you've been doing for the past week!"

Sighing as a fresh dagger of guilt lodged itself in his back, Michiru placed his hands on his sister's shoulders. "Kaname, listen to me, I -!"

"No, _you_ listen, bro! I'm not going to wait until we get back before I try and talk to you! And do you know why? Because this is the first _real _conversation we've had in a week! Probably even longer!" Kaname exploded. When Michiru averted his eyes from his sibling, the Kururugi's face fell with pain. "You barely tell me anything about what you're doing! You haven't told me anything at all about these _friends_ of yours! Or how you met them or what you all do together or…or anything else!" Pulling up even closer to him, she gave Michiru a pleading look. "Can't you tell me…_anything _about them? About…you?"

Sighing, Michiru pressed his lips together as he considered the situation. The sadness that was so clear on his sister's face. "Listen, I…Kaname," he began slowly, making sure that he spoke all the right words. That nothing slipped out by mistake. "I…I know haven't been making a lot of time for you. And…I do understand why you're…concerned about what's going on with me." Moving closer to her, he put his hand beneath her chin and gently lifted it up so that their gazes met. "But…a lot's happened to me. More than I…than I could every really explain."

"Like what?" Kaname asked. Her eyes pleading in a way that could never be expressed with simple words, she wrapped her arms about Michiru. "Please, bro…tell me what's happened to you! Ever since the Doll Festival, I feel like I have a stranger living in my house, not a brother I've known all my life!" Tightening her grip on her brother, she looked longingly at him as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "Please…what's happened to you? Why can't you trust me anymore?"

Shaking his head sorrowfully, Michiru told her, "It's not about me not trusting you, Kaname." Frowning intently, thoughts of the permission his friends had given him, that their secrets were his to give or keep as he saw fit, as well as the burden of responsibility that inherently went with them, the Kururugi boy lowered his eyes. "It's just…I…"

A sound hit Michiru's ears. The distinctive sound of a branch snapping.

"Just what?" Kaname asked. When Michiru looked up in the direction of the sound, his eyes narrowed with intensity, she asked, "What is it?"

Michiru didn't answer right away. The last thing he wanted to do just then was to work himself into a tizzy over another bird. But as he looked about his surroundings, he realized that, not only were the two of them far away from any buildings or human habitation, but they were presently walking near a park. Which meant there were only a few lights around to provide illumination…and plenty of trees and bushes to provide cover.

_This had better be another bird!_ Michiru frowned as he concentrated, focusing his senses through the spirit familiars that connected him to the forces of nature. _C'mon, Michiru! Focus! You know what to do! It's just like Grandma Kakuku once told you! Focus on the flow of nature itself! The flames burn, the great river flows, and…the blue sky blows!_

With that, Michiru closed his eyes, abandoning normal, human eyesight and focusing entirely on the Shikigami. At first, he couldn't see anything, but as he continued to concentrate, he slowly became aware. Aware of the plants that surrounded them, the flow of water somewhere below the streets…and a disturbance in the air. Something moving through it. Several somethings…and they were drawing closer to them.

Realizing that this wasn't just another bird, Michiru opened his eyes and turned in the direction he had sensed the approaching figures. Positioning himself between them and his sister, he tersely whispered. "Kaname, get ready to run!"

"_Run?"_ Kaname spat out. "Bro, what are you talking about? Run from _what?"_

"Don't argue with me, Kaname!" Michiru countered, brooking no argument. "Just – huh?" It was then that the beings he had sensed appeared…and furrowed his brows when he realized that they were out of time.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" came a voice from just beyond the darkness, causing Kaname to jump back Then, with a hiss of annoyance, Michiru watched as seven boys and girls of about a year his senior appeared from the shadows. All of them were wearing rough outfits, they all wore similar looks of bullying cruelty, and each of them was carrying a weapon of some kind.

"Uh-oh…" Kaname murmured nervously, taking a step back as the three youths in front hoisted their weapons menacingly. The one closest to them held a long, metal bat, and grinned wickedly at her. "Um…I'm sorry. I…guess we took a wrong turn. We'll just be going now, and…!"

"Wrong, girlfriend! You two ain't going nowhere," the punk with the bat informed her. "That is…not until you pay the toll."

"A toll, huh?" Michiru returned sharply.

"Yeah, a toll. You see, you happen to be trespassing on _our _turf. And nobody gets through _our _turf without paying the price," the lead jerk informed him, pointing his bat into Michiru's face. "So why don't you hand over all your money. Right now. And maybe if you give us enough, we'll let you two go with only a _light _beating!"

As the other punks there chorused their leader's words with a burst of cruel laughter, Michiru stared hard at creeps confronting them, entirely unimpressed. He had fought things far more terrifying than a bunch of losers who thought they were tougher than anyone else, who relied on numbers and intimidation to get their way. He fought actual demons, demons that would send them screaming in terror to hide beneath whatever rock they had crawled out from under of. Narrowing his eyes, Michiru looked back at his sister, who was standing just behind him, fear inscribed in her face. "Kaname, run. Get out of here."

"What?" Kaname squeaked out. Giving a quick shake of her head, she then belted out, "But – I can't just -!"

"Don't argue with me, sis! Just go!" Michiru declared, pointing off in the distance. "I'll take care of these creeps! Now run!" Kaname continued to stand there, completely frozen. Not having the luxury to be gentle, Michiru grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around. "Go!" With that, he shoved her away, very nearly sending her tumbling to the ground. But Kananme windmilled her arms, and although she came very close to falling, she managed to recover her balance and look back at him. Not allowing her the chance to say anything further, Michiru pointed in the direction he had pushed her. "Go! _Now! _Go get the police!" When she still failed to move, he snorted and glared harshly at her. "I'll be alright, sis! Now _go!"_

Whether it was because she was heeding the words of a brother she loved, or simply because she was more scared of Michiru now than she was of their attackers, the Shikigami User couldn't say. All he cared about at the moment was that Kaname forgot her hesitations and began running as fast as possible. As soon as she was moving, the lead punk pointed at her with his bat. "Raido! Junko! Get after that dumb bimbo!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Michiru told them, his voice completely free of fear. Something that stopped the two punks before they could do more than take a step. "It's one thing to mess with me, but if you so much as lay a hand on my sister…then you better start praying. Because nothing short of a _god _will be able to save you!"

To Michiru's immense satisfaction, it wasn't just the two punks he'd addressed that were given pause by this declaration; all seven of them froze momentarily, looking perplexedly amongst themselves. They were used to preying upon people weaker or in smaller numbers than themselves, and had been expecting Michiru to terrified. Not only was he not even slightly intimidated by them, but he was acting like _he _was the one in control, rather than them.

Clearly unhappy that things were going according to Standard Operating Procedure, the lead punk snarled menacingly. "Hey, what are you two doing? Get after that dumb bitch, already!" he roared, raising his bat over his head. Raido and Junko took one look at their boss, then glanced at each other and Michiru before starting after Kaname.

_At least I gave her a bit of a head start,_ Michiru frowned before turning his attention back to his antagonists. _Now…all I have to do is figure some way to beat these five creeps _without_ letting them see my magic!_

As Michiru was considering this particularly nasty problem, the lead punk was again focusing on him. "And as for you, asshole, you're in for it now!" the jerk declared with an abrasive sneer. "Maybe if you'd just forked over your dough like a good little sheep, then maybe we wouldn't have had to break every bone in your scrawny little body!" Snorting in triumph, he gestured at Michiru with his bat. _"Get him!"_

"Yeah!" spoke one particularly nasty-looking goon, who was armed with a bokuto. Taking the lead position, he stomped his way up to Michiru, his weapon held overhand.

Bracing himself for battle, Michiru studied his foe, and knew instantly what he was dealing with; a rank amateur. He was just stomping up to the Shikigami User like all he had to do was bash him over the head and the fight would be over. But he had made the mistake of underestimating his opponent. While no expert in hand-to-hand combat, Michiru had been forced to fight with his fists against actual demons back in the Feudal Era. And more importantly, he had taken some lessons in fighting from someone who had been trained virtually from birth. And as he had learned from Sango, sometimes an opponent's arrogance was their greatest weakness.

Watching carefully, keeping aware of his opponent's every move, Michiru waited until he was primed and ready to strike. Before he could do so, Michiru snapped back his fist and fired a punch directly into his enemy's midriff. The blow cruelly drove the air from the thug's lungs, leaving him vulnerable long enough for Michiru to follow up with a kick to his groin. The thug was now hurting in two sensitive spots, which was all he needed to convince him to let his wooden sword fall from his grip. Seeing an opportunity, he bent down and grabbed the bokuto.

By this time, the thug's teammates had realized that things really weren't going according to plan. Whether they thought their large ally would be able to deal with Michiru on his own, or had just wanted to see what their foe was capable, they had decided that now was the time to move in with superior numbers. Even as they did so, their large friend was recovering from the damage inflicted upon him, something Michiru knew he couldn't afford. Now he was the one with a weapon, and one he used with devastating effect as he brought it down upon his first foe's head. With a sharp cry of pain, the one creep fell to the ground.

"Ugh!" the creep with the bat growled even as the other two creeps took up position next to Michiru. The Shikigami User slowly backed away, trying to figure a way out of this situation. Despite everything, he knew the odds of him winning without using his magic were slim to none, and to make matters worse, there was no guarantee that Kaname would be able to escape her pursuers unassisted. He had to get away from there quickly, and go after her.

As Michiru considered these things, one of his female foes drew closer. "Nice moves, wimp. Not that they're going to keep us from tearing you apart!" She held up the chain she had in her hand, and snapped it against the ground, sending sparks flying. Meanwhile, another goon was flanking Michiru, this one armed with a set of brass knuckles.

The girl was the first to attack. Lashing out with her chain, she snagged the wooden sword Michiru had claimed, and pulled hard. Michiru knew that she expected him to pull back, which would leave him wide open to an attack from her friend. So he did the exact opposite, and rushed right towards her, fist raised and ready. The girl didn't even have time to cry out as Michiru's knuckles crashed down on her nose, snapping cartilage and sending her crying out in pain. The other attacker right on his heels, he rushed past the staggered girl, and with a forceful shove, sent her flying right into him.

Watching as the two punks crashed into each other, Michiru pulled on his pilfered sword, freeing it from the slackened chain. Even so, he knew he had won himself a temporary respite. The first punk he had downed was recovering, and while the girl's nose was bleeding profusely, she was still in the fight. Added to this the three other punks that he hadn't even gotten to yet, and he knew that pressing the fight now would only make things worse for him.

_Which leaves me with just one chance!_ Michiru realized before taking off in the direction Kaname had run in. "Sorry, I hate to leave the party so soon!" he called out over his shoulder. "But I promised my parents that I'd have my sister back in time for bed!"

This taunting remark had the desired effect. The disarrayed punks, stirred themselves back up as their leader snarled, "I don't believe this! What, are you _trying _to get your butts kicked? After that little creep!"

"Hey, if you think it's so easy, _you_ take first swing at him next time!" one of the goons protested.

"Aw, shut up and let's get him!" the girl shrilled. "After what that bastard did to my face, I'm going to -!"

Michiru couldn't make out the rest of the girl's tirade, which was just as well; judging from her tone of voice, she was letting loose a barrage of expletives that would make even InuYasha's ears burn. _At least I bought myself a little breathing room!_ he thought as he pushed himself for all the speed he could must. _Now, all I have to do is find someplace out of sight!_

Unfortunately, there was no hiding spot immediately evident, and so Michiru was forced to keep running, and to stay far enough ahead of his attackers that he didn't lose the precious amount of time he had won.

_Don't look back. Don't look back!_ Michiru told himself over and over again. Despite this good advice, his neck twisted so that he was able to see the goon platoon racing after him. They weren't gaining any ground, but they were much too close for comfort. _Okay, dummy!_ he told himself as he turned his eyes forward. _Don't look back _again_!_

It was fortunate that Michiru followed this particular bit of advice. For it was the only reason he spotted exactly what he had been looking for; a strip mall, complete with various shops, and best of all, a nice long section of alley behind it.

_Perfect!_ Michiru thought, grinning with delight as he poured on every last bit of speed he still had in him and lit towards the alley. Somewhere behind him, he heard the thugs crying out and making various threats that he barely paid attention to. All he needed was a bit of luck, and he'd have them out of his hair in no time.

As it happened, luck was indeed with him. When he reached the alley, he found it completely unoccupied. He couldn't see or sense anyone nearby. And therefore, there would be no one to see him in the precious few seconds he needed to conjure a spell.

"Oh, overflowing blue sky!" he intoned, invoking his Wind Shikigami's latest spell. "Sing the song of deepest sleep! Blue Sky Slumber!" With that, a pentagram appeared at his feet, releasing the bird that was his Wind Shikigami up into the air, where it hovered overhead for a brief time as it oriented itself. Before long, the spirit familiar caught sight of its intended targets, who were still cursing as they ran towards Michiru's general position.

Peeking around strip mall corner, Michiru watched his own magic at work. Unseen by the five punks, his Wind Shikigami swooped down upon them, a shower of green sparkles falling down upon them as it flew past and ultimately disappeared. "Huh?" one of the goons started, looking up at the shower of magical light. "Hey, what was…was…?"

"What was _what?_" the girl demanded crossly. The only answer she got was a loud thud, prompting her to turn and look. "Hey, what are you -?"

"Aw, _damn…!_" Another goon muttered, rubbing his eyes blearily. "Sure am…sleepy…all of sudden…" With that, he keeled over as well.

"Hey! What's with you two!" snarled the lead jerk, who had stopped to look at his fellow creeps. Only to stare slack-jawed in amazement as, one by one, they keeled over and fell to the ground, dead asleep. When even the girl with the busted nose collapsed, his jaw plummeted. "Aw, I don't _believe this!_ What…what's with you…jerks…?"

Watching as the lead creep ended his sentence in a deep yawn, Michiru smiled dangerously. _Four down, and the fifth one just about ready to go down as well. Not bad for my first time with this spell!_ he decided. _Now, to help this guy to bed as well!_ With the head jerk fully occupied with trying to stay awake, the Shikigami User made his way up to him. "Sorry, creep," he told him, causing him to look up just as Michiru drew back his new sword, "but _lights out!"_

The bokuto swung down and met with the creep's head, and finished the job his Wind Shikigami had started. Looking as if invisible birds were chirping around his head, the lead punk tottered back a few steps, his knees wobbling like jelly until they finally gave out, sending down to the ground with his friends.

"There!" Michiru grinned, the air filled with snores and other sounds of sleep. Holding up bokuto he'd won from them, he told them, "If you don't mind, I think I'll keep this. I'm sure it'll come in handy when I catch up with your friends!" And so, the Shikigami User resumed his course, hoping that Kaname was still safe.

* * *

_I can't believe this is happening!_ Kaname shrilled inwardly as she ran full-out. Adrenaline was flooding her entire body as she pushed herself as hard and as fast as she could.

Numbly clinging to the bags of clothes that she bought, she glanced over her shoulders, hoping against hope that her pursuers had given up their chase as a bad job. Unfortunately, she was not in luck; the two creeps were still in hot pursuit. To make matters worse, it looked like they had narrowed the gap between them and her.

Additional fear and desperation shooting through her, Kaname struggled to find another reserve of speed in her, and send it straight to her feet. _I swear, if I get out of this, I'll never slack off in gym class ever again!_ Unfortunately, this slacking off in gym seemed to be determined to lay her low right then and there. Her legs were already protested this prolonged chase, her lungs were burning, and whatever reserves she had wouldn't last long. _Michiru! Aw, bro, I'm sorry! I never meant to…I…!_

As this thought degenerated into chaos, a part of Kaname flashed back to before, to her when brother commanded her to run. _His face…!_ she thought, flashing back to that moment when her shy, gentle twin had looked her with a face that was fierce and completely without fear. A face that had shocked her so completely, that he had had no choice but to run. _My brother…what's happened to him? How did he get to be this way?_

Despite the fear of the moment, Kaname's conscious mind slowly detached itself from her current peril, and returned to a question that had haunted her for months, since the Doll Festival of Wishes. When Michiru had come home that day, he had been just the way he had always been. The same kind brother he had been since the day they had been born. And yet, in the span of a simple trip to the storehouse…he had been irrevocably changed.

It hadn't been obvious right away; Michiru had been distracted, a bit solemn, but nothing major. But as the months passed and he became increasingly secretive, absorbed in his own little world, it had not only been easier to see, but it had become harder for Kaname to take. Her twin brother was steadily drifting away from her, and she had no idea why, or how to bring him back.

And now, her brother was buying Kaname time to escape. Standing up to five punks that could pulp him without even half trying. _How? How did he get to be this way?_ she asked herself, over and over again. _Michiru, who are -?_

Kaname's thoughts were stopped by a burst of pain in her foot, followed quickly by the entire world lurching around her. Crying out in terror, she realized that, in her distraction and fear, she must've tripped on something. And that was all she had time to realize as she fell to the ground, tumbling about a few times before coming to a stop.

Her overloaded mind knew that she had to get to her feet. Already, she could hear her attackers coming closer. But Kaname was already exhausted from the chase, and stunned as she was by the shock of the impact, her drained body simply refused to respond. _C'mon! C'mon! Get back up already! _she cried out, her body shuddering as she tried to will herself back to her feet. Bracing herself up by her hands, the Kururugi girl attempted to force herself back up. Only to slammed back down by a booted heel coming down on her back.

"You shouldn't have tried to run from us, you dumb slut!" a coarse, male voice sneered. "Because now we're really going to have to mess you up, just to make up for the hard time you gave us!"

"Hey! What do we have here?" came a cruel, female voice. Unable to prevent it, Kaname watched as her other pursuer grabbed up her purchases from where they'd fallen. "Looks like someone's had themselves a big day at the mall! I wonder if there's anything in here that'll fit?"

"No, stop!" Kaname cried out. "Leave me -!"

"Aw, shut up, bitch!" the boy growled, smashing his foot down on her again. "It's your own fault for not giving us your money when you had the chance." The punk ground his heel down on her, doing it as slowly as painfully as he could. All the while, his companion was looking through all of things Kaname had bought that day, sneering as she dump several items on the ground. "Hey, Junko! Watcha doing?"

"I'm trying to see if there's anything worthwhile in here!" Junko retorted nastily.

"Who cares? We can deal with that later!" the male retorted. "First things first! Let's have some fun with this little bitch…and then, I think I'll slice off one of her fingers. That way, everybody will know what happens when they mess with us!"

"Ooh, sounds like fun!" Junko grinned. Kaname's eyes went wide at the distinctive sound of switchblade, and as she lay there, completely helpless, she watched as the girl deliberately marched into her line of sight, holding her knife up to her mouth. "Let me do that! I'll make a great addition to my collection!"

"_No!"_ Kaname cried out in horror, her eyes focused on the gleaming blade as her tormentor approaching, moving slowly towards her victim. Enjoying the suspense as her comrade kept Kaname still and helpless. Made sure that she couldn't look away from the cruel girl and her knife.

But even as she watched her doom come closer, Kaname gasped as she saw something else approaching. Coming at them from behind Junko, and thus out of her line of sight, was a figure holding a wooden sword. Her first thought was that it was another member of this gang, come to inflict further torment on her. But then she realized that the approaching figure was wearing a very familiar school uniform. "Michiru!" Kaname cried, her mind exploding with relief, both that her brother had come and that he was apparently unhurt. _"Michiru, help!"_

"Aw, shut up you damn skank!" Junk sneered, licking her knife as she approached. "Ain't no one gonna save you! So try and save the screaming for -!"

"_Kaname!"_ Michiru cried out desperately as he raced towards them. "Oh, furious howling thunder, unleash your wrath!"

_Huh?_ Kaname squeaked inwardly. _Wh-what's he saying -?_

"_Thunder Break!"_ Michiru finished, his body glowing with electric yellow light. Her terror momentarily forgotten, she watched as the light rose up from him, taking the form of a golden wolf. The newly spawned monstrosity howled its fury before leaping forth into the sky. The beast shot towards Junko and transformed into a lightning bolt that smashed into her dead-on.

"_Aaaaaahhh!"_ Junko cried out, writhing helplessly as electricity crackled up and down her body. She screamed and kept on screaming for several seconds, until at last the lightning dissipated, leaving her swaying to a non-existent wind. Sparks of electricity still snapping about her, the cruel woman fell to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

As she looked from the fallen punk to her brother and back again, Kaname could think nothing. Her mind rendered completely blank by the insanity that this night had spawned. And thus was completely helpless when a strong arm wrapped itself about her throat and dragged her to her feet.

* * *

"_Stop! You better stop right there, pal!"_ the remaining punk cried out as he dragged Kaname to her feet. _"You come one step closer, and I'll do her! You hear me?" _Forcing himself to a halt, Michiru grimaced as he glowered menacingly at the punk that remained. Already trying to figure out his next move.

It had taken a bit of time to follow Kaname's trail, and ultimately, he had been forced to follow a relatively straight course, hoping that his sister had favored speed over stealth. Fortunately, he had guessed correctly, and had arrived just in time to see Kaname trapped by her pursuers. As well as listen to one of them as she marched towards her with a knife in hand.

The sight of his sister, with one aggressor grinding his heel down on her back and another declaring her attention to take one of Kaname's fingers, had sent anger searing through Michiru's mind. Rage and concern overwhelming all other concerns, Michiru had struck down the female with his Thunder Shikigami. And even the part of him that was furious to see his sister assaulted in such a fashion found this extremely satisfying, there was no getting around the fact that he had a big problem.

_C'mon, Michiru! You had to do something! _he told himself. _Blue Sky Slumber might not have worked fast enough to take them down before they could hurt Kaname! _But even with this thought, he knew that he had attacked out of anger, rather than any particular strategy. And while it may have succeeded in bringing down one of their attackers, the other had been quick to drag Kaname to her feet. Now he had her locked in a chokehold, and worse yet, he had a knife of his own in his free hand.

"Yeah, I heard you," Michiru tersely returned. "And if you're smart, then you better try listening to me as well."

"_No! _You're the one who's gonna be listening to _me!"_ the thug cried out, holding his knife above Kaname's chest. "I don't know what the hell you are, man, but you better back off! Because if you don't, I'll stick this bitch right in her heart!"

_Yeah, and if you do that, you'll lose the only thing keeping me from tearing you apart,_ Michiru thought to himself. He didn't say this aloud, however; Kaname's captor was on edge, acting out of fear. His hand was trembling so badly it looked ready to stab his hostage of its own accord, and Michiru didn't dare do anything to set him off. Shikigami were out; his opponent would go off the instant the modern magician attempted to conjure their powers. He was too far away to get him with his sword. _Which means I've got just one chance. I'm gonna have to talk him down before he does anything stupid!_

Slowly holding up his hands, Michiru looked towards his sister. "Don't worry, Kaname. Everything's going to be okay. Just stay calm for a little while longer." She didn't smile or nod or do anything of that sort, not that Michiru could blame her. Shifting his focus to his adversary, the Shikigami User took two steps backward. "Okay. I've backed off."

"Now drop your sword!" the petrified thug demanded. Without hesitation, Michiru let the wooden blade fall from his hands, which clattered loudly as it hit the ground. The punk gasped loudly at this, increasing the pressure on Kaname's neck as he stepped backwards. "Okay, now don't you move, you freak! The bitch is coming with me, and if you even think of following us, then she's dead!"

"No, she's not," Michiru told him. "Look, right now, I couldn't care less about whatever you and your buddies were doing. All I want if for you to let my sister go. You do that, and I promise, you can leave."

"What, you think I'm stupid?" the punk shrilled hatefully, bringing the knife closer to Kaname's chest. "Oh, no! No way, man! If you want your sister to keep breathing, you're gonna do what I say! Is that clear?"

"Perfectly. And let me tell _you_ something," Michiru vowed, glaring dangerously at the creep who held Kaname's life in his hands. "If anything happens to Kaname, then there isn't any force on this Earth that will keep from breaking you into _pieces._ Now…is _that_ clear?"

The punk's breathing was coming in short bursts, his hold on Kaname's neck tightening. For a moment, Michiru was certain that he'd pushed him too far. But then the punk grinned cruelly before raising the knife up to Kaname's face. "Uh-uh! You ain't gonna do nothing, pal! Because I got your sister! And you ain't got the _guts _to do anything if it means hurting her!" Lowering the sharp edge to his hostage's face, apparently oblivious to the strangled cry that tore its way free of her lips at the touch of the cold metal, he glared cruelly at Michiru. "Now, she and I are gonna take a little trip! And if you're really lucky, I might just let her go without take off an ear or – hey, what are you -?"

What happened next almost happened too quickly for Michiru to keep track of. Overwhelmed by terror, Kaname went completely rigid, her mouth wide open, as if to scream. But no sound came out of her mouth; instead, a hazy red aura rose up from her body. An aura that Michiru knew all too well.

_What?_ Michiru gasped as the light surrounding Kaname and her captor grew in intensity. Memories of his discussion with Sota and the others leaping to the forefront of his mind. _No way…it can't be -!_

As if in direct contradiction to this thought, Kaname very nearly fell limp as a pentagram spun into existence at her feet. Her captor looked down at the impossible circle of magic, his face falling with shock as crimson light rose up into the air. "What the hell -?" the punk cried out, both himself and Kaname looking up in terrified awe as a lion that was red as flames burning bright took shape, and snarled at him.

"Oh, flame burning bright!" Kaname intoned, her mouth moving of its own accord. Her eyes wide with shock and horror, her conscious mind barely able to handle what was happening to her. "Turn into a sword of wrath! Raging Flame!"

The lion that was the Fire Shikigami roared in response to this invocation, and leapt down at her captor. With a shriek of purest fear, the punk shoved Kaname away from him before turning about to run for his life. He didn't run nearly fast enough; the lion released a wave of white-hot flame at the punk, enveloping him in an instant inferno.

As the punk shrieked in purest agony, Kaname turned around to see the result of her own magic unleashed. Her eyes expanded until it seemed impossible that they could remain in their sockets, her mouth opening and closing randomly, her entire body shaking until at last she screamed. She screamed loudly and horribly, holding her hands up to her face as if she was torn between covering her eyes and tearing them out entirely. Anything to stop watching the human being that was now staggering forward, wrapped in flames. His cries of agony filling her ears and causing tears to flow down her cheeks.

Meanwhile, Michiru was racing after the punk. As angry as he was at what happened, the last thing we wanted was for someone's life to be on his sister's conscience. "Oh, mighty flowing river, become the lance of justice!" the Kururugi boy began, invoking the power of his Water Shikigami. "Great River Torrent!" At this, a magical fish appeared, sending a spray of water at the burning thug. The spray quickly put out the flames, sending plumes of smoke from the smoldering thug as he toppled to the ground.

"Oh, no…!" Kaname moaned despairingly as she looked at the sodden criminal, and Michiru as well felt a wave of sympathy and disgust at what he saw. The punk's hair had been completely scorched away, and much of his flesh had been scorched dark. The dark sections were already cracking, blood oozing out from the wounds, and the stench of burnt flesh and blood rose up in a palpable fog of death. "I…I didn't…I…!"

"I know, Kaname," Michiru broke in, sparing a moment cast a sympathetic look at his sister as he knelt down before the fallen thug. Narrowing his eyes in concentration, he once again summoned forth his Water Shikigami. "Oh, mighty flowing river, ring with the sound of blessing! Great River Offering!" His Water Shikigami rose high up into the sky before disappearing in a shower of blue sparkles. The magical motes of light fell down upon everyone present, including the girl Michiru had electrocuted, rejuvenating and restoring them. As the light was absorbed into the punk's body, burnt flesh fell away as new, unblemished skin quickly grew into place. It wasn't enough to completely repair the damage done, but the amount of healing taking place gave Michiru hope.

_It isn't like what happened with Grandma Kakuju. He still has a chance…if I can just keep the healing magic coming!_ Michiru realized. "Now! Oh, mighty flowing river, give me your blessing! Great River Blessing!"

Off in the distance, Kaname watched as Michiru once again invoked his healing magic. Watched in awe and horror as more ruined skin fell from the punk, and was immediately replaced with healthy tissue. "How…?" she moaned helplessly, shaking her head the entire time. "Michiru…how can you…?"

Sighing as the healing magic ran its course, Michiru rose to his feet. "It's magic, Kaname," he said, speaking as gently as he could. "The power of the Shikigami."

Her eyes widening a bit more, Kaname watched as her brother carefully came closer. "Sh-shikigami…?" she rasped out. "B-b-but…th-they're not…not real!"

"Yes, they are, Kaname," Michiru assured her as he drew closer. "Look, I…"

"No! Th-they _can't _be real! _This _can't be real! It _can't!_" Kaname cried out, shaking her head as she slowly backed away from Michiru. "I _can't _have – I never wanted - _I didn't mean to -!"_

"I know! I know you didn't!" Michiru assured her, already knowing full well that words enough would not enough to soothe her. "It's not your fault, Kaname. It's not -!"

"This can't be happening!" Kaname cried out, rivers of tears flowing down her face, her entire body trembling as she continued to back away. "It _can't! It just can't! I…I -!"_ It was then that all of the emotion, all of the terror and confusion and shock guilt of that moment fell down upon Kaname at once, and she reacted to it the same way her abductor had reacted to her Fire Shikigami. Without a second thought, she turned on her heel, and fled from Michiru like he was a beast from hell itself.

Sorrow and guilt clawing at his own heart, Michiru watched helplessly as his sister fled into the night. His first impulse was to chase after her, but then he looked back at thug Kaname had very nearly killed, and knew that he couldn't leave just yet. Not until he was certain that he would be alright. And so, he brought out his cell phone, and hurriedly called for an ambulance.

As he spoke to the emergency people on the other end, Michiru rapidly considered what to do next. It was clear that Kaname's Shikigami weren't fully awake yet; they had responded in response to an imminent threat to Kaname's life, and weren't under her conscious control. And until she _could _control those powers, there was a very serious danger of the Shikigami within her reacting of their own accord in any given situation, and next time, the consequences of such an event could very well be ten times worse than it was this time.

Unless someone were to fully awaken the Shikigami, and teach Kaname how to use them. Someone who knew the various difficulties in wielding the forces of nature. Someone who had been in the same position Kaname was in now, and knew of the spells and capabilities of the spirit familiars.

And in this day and age, where things such as the Shikigami were seen as simple superstition, tales to amuse little children, there was only person who could teach Kaname what she needed to know.

By the time Michiru had finished his call for help, these thoughts had twisted about him, and sent his heart plummeting. _I'm sorry, everyone,_ he thought, thinking of the faces he dearly wanted to see, of the woman he loved. _But it looks like I won't be coming back tomorrow, after all._ As he allowed one tear to roll down his cheek, the Shikigami heaved a deep breath, and tried to figure out his next move.

_The first thing I have to do is find Kaname,_ Michiru thought, something he knew was a lot easier said than done. Unlike last time, Kaname wasn't being chased, and had a great deal more choice in places to run, and places to hide. And not only did she have much larger head start this time, but Michiru knew that the last thing she wanted was to be found. _Maybe I should call InuYasha. He could track her down in no time._ But even as he considered this possibility, the Shikigami User frowned. While there was no doubt that his half-demon friend had the best of intentions, what he didn't have was the subtlety needed to help his distraught sister. _Kagome would be better suited for that, but even then…no. Kaname's already scared out of her mind. Dealing with complete strangers, as well as a half-demon -!_

Wincing, Michiru thought back to when he had first been confronted with InuYasha. He had very nearly panicked at the realization he was dealing with someone not human, especially after very nearly being eaten by a demon. And Kaname was in far worse shape mentally and emotionally than Michiru had been. _No. I'll have to handle this myself,_ he finally decided, already knowing the kind of task he had set for himself. _Now…how do I find her…?_

Frowning in thought, Michiru considered his options. Searching on foot would take a long time, and if he took too long, then his parents would get worried. And if there was ever _not _a time to let them know about the powers he and Kaname had, this was it. _Which means I have to find her fast,_ Michiru frowned. _And I think I might just know the spell for the job…_

Making certain that he was still alone, Michiru raced off towards a nearby tree. Placing his hand upon its bark, he closed his eyes and summoned the Shikigami he had been so delighted to have awakened. "Oh, towering green wood, spawn the implements of magic! Green Wood Shaper!" he invoked, a pentagram appearing at his feet that spawned forth a leaf-green snake. The Wood Shikigami entered the tree, its magical light suffusing it and spreading up into a branch that just above Michiru's head. As the magical light entered into the tree's leaves, they shimmered brightly before beginning to change. The green subsided and turned white, the leaves grew, becoming thick and rectangular. And inscribed on each of the newly formed cards, there was a crimson pentagram, as well as magical inscriptions.

"Thank you," Michiru smiled, plucking the newly formed cards and taking them in hand. Then he cast his Great River Blessing upon the tree, to help it replenish what he had harvested from it. Tucking most of the cards into his pocket, he then invoked the power of his Wind Shikigami. Glowing with its power, it transformed into a bird, and with a great flap of its wings, it took to the air as Michiru closed his eyes in concentration.

_Perfect. It's just like it said in the scrolls; I can see everything it sees, _Michiru thought with definite satisfaction. _Now, go! Go find Kaname!_ With this command, the bird shot off into the night sky, leaving the Shikigami User to gather up Kaname's belongings and his pilfered sword…and to wait until it had found his anguished sister…

* * *

Author's Notes: It's just like they say; the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. And things have _really _gone astray for Michiru this time! Please, read and review! And maybe check out my other stories while you're at it?

Now, those of you who have already read this story know that I've been doing a serious overhaul on the way things played out here, and with good reason. I originally skimmed over the events surrounding the awakening of Kaname's powers, mainly because I was impatient to get on with the rest of the story. But in retrospect, I decided that this was a vital aspect of Kaname's development, and thus deserved to be expanded upon. I just hope that the changes I've made are to everybody's liking.

Michael, Urzu 11, I have every intention of finishing this story. But it is going to be a long one, so you better brace yourselves!

Grey Hulk, it makes me so happy that someone who hasn't played the Cursed Mask game can enjoy this story. Thank you so much.

Please, read and review, everybody! And check out my other stories, while you're at it!


	7. Brother Knows Best?

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Chapter 7: Brother Knows Best?

Kaname had no idea of where she was, nor did she really care. All she knew at the moment was that she was alone, sitting on a bench with a streetlight shining a short distance away. And at that moment…she wasn't even sure she knew that much about where she was…or what.

Rivers of tears flowing down her face, her hands cupped over her eyes with her nails gouging into her forehead, Kaname sat hunched forward, lost in a world of fear and confusion. _What's happening to me…?_ Kaname asked herself, the same question she had asked herself many times that evening. A question that didn't even come close to expressing her confusion…and her desperate need for peace, for reassurance. Things that did not seem possible to her.

When she had been held prisoner by the thug before, Kaname been drowning in a sea of terror. Her mind numb with the knowledge that death was mere moments away from her, her life in the hands of a punk that had been as crazed as a cornered animal, just wounded and frightened enough to make truly dangerous. She had seen her own terrified reflection in his knife as it had pressed against her skin. And then…

Gasping as that cruel moment returned to her, Kaname resisted it. She wanted to forget it, to forget _everything _that had happened that day, to wake up in her bed and have everything back to the way it had been that morning. But no matter how much she wished for it, it didn't happen, and instead, that terrible moment came back to her again. The moment when she had actually _felt _something changing within her, something that exploded out of her in a burst of flame and rage. And then…

_That stuff I said…about flame…burning bright…_ Kaname thought numbly. _What was I even saying? And where'd that – that _thing _come from? How'd get it inside of me? And why'd it – why did it -?_ Then another image flashed before her, as vivid and terrible as it had been when it had first happened. Of how the vengeful beast that she had somehow released had transformed into deadly wave of fire, and struck down her attacker.

As his screams echoed in her mind, despite her desperate efforts to blot them out, Kaname again felt that horror return to her. Over and over again, she told herself that she didn't mean for it to happen, that it was an accident, that whatever forces had caused it were forces beyond her control. But none of these changed the fact that her hands had been stained with blood.

But this horror then subsided as she recalled what happened next. In her mind, she again watched as Michiru, her own brother, summoned a beast like the one that had scorched her attacker. But it had been unlike it as well; not only had its form been different, but it had been completely under Michiru's control. It had heeded his command, not once, but three times, allowing him to save her attacker's life.

But this knowledge did nothing to stave off her guilt, and even worse, it made her confusion and terror that much worse. _My brother…how does he know about these things…Shikigami…they're supposed to be only a myth! How could he…when did he…brother…!_ A loud, broken sob sounded as she thought back to before. To the person that she had forced her to run from their attackers, that had struck down the one punk and had stood fearlessly when she had been used as another punk's shield. The person who had made it clear that he would not allow his sister to die or be taken away from him.

Except that person hadn't been the Michiru she had once known. Not the kind, gentle brother who blushed as easily as she did, whom she couldn't remember ever making a fist, let alone getting into a fight. The person who had come to her rescue was a warrior; strong, brave, unswerving. The person who had come for her…was someone she didn't know. Not anymore.

_Brother…_ Kaname cried, her tears forming a small pool at her feet. _Who are you...?_

Practically choking as a wad of bile formed in her throat, hunched even further over. Begging the universe to let this night of madness end. For her to feel safe again.

The universe soon answered. It told her the madness was just beginning. And it did so in the voice she had once trusted implicitly. "Kaname?" came a voice that harkened back to the past. A voice that was spoken in just the right way, with the right inflictions, the right shyness, the right tenderness. A voice that caused her to turn about, and watch as Michiru came to stand in the streetlight.

"Brother…?" Kaname gasped, hope momentarily rising up in her. But then she noticed that he still had the sword he had been carrying with him. It was hanging in his belt, but still, it served as a reminder of what had happened. Of the person he had been when he had appeared before. And as these memories brought back all the madness from before, the Kururugi girl gasped before jumping to her feet. "Stay back…stay away from me…!"

The person before her reacted exactly as the Michiru she had once known would have. He sucked in a gasp, clearly stricken by her response. "What…?" he got out, his voice so quiet she could barely hear him. "Wait…Kaname, I…don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you…"

"How do I know that?" Kaname demanded, taking a step back from him.

The stranger she thought she knew looked even more like her brother. "How do you…Kaname…it's _me,"_ he told her pleadingly. "C'mon…you know I wouldn't do anything to hurt you…"

"How can I, Michiru? I don't know who you are anymore! I don't even know _what _you are!" Kaname shrilled, the tears flowing even more rapidly as she backed away from him. "Just stay away from me, please! Stay away…!"

"Kaname…" the boy who might once have been Michiru Kururugi murmured mournfully. "Please, I know how hard this must be for you. I know that you're scared, but you have to listen to me!"

"Oh, _now _you want me to listen to you?" Kaname shrilled, his words mixing with her fears and causing them to boil up into anger. "Why should I, Michiru? You've cut me off! You won't tell me anything!" This burst of anger quickly subsided, and an even deeper sorrow was born. "How can I trust you when I…I don't know who you are anymore…"

The air around them echoed with the sounds of her sobbing. A sound that caused a deep sadness to register on her twin's face. But at the same time, it also caused some of his gentle exterior to peel away, and reveal the tougher, more dangerous person he had become. "Because…I've _been _where you are right now," he told her, his voice trembling only the slightest bit. "Because, a while ago, _I_ was the one who was alone and afraid. Trying to deal with things I didn't understand. With powers that I…I didn't even knew I had." Michiru lowered his gaze for a moment, and then looked back up and met her own eyes. "You…you remember the Doll Festival of Wishes, right?"

The Doll Festival. These words instantly rang a cord in Kaname. The day her brother had become someone else. As her conscious mind focused on these words, it was able to stop the terrified aspect of herself from moving any further away from Michiru. It forced her to look at him…and listen.

"When I went into the storehouse, I…something happened to me in there. Something I…I'm not even sure I can explain," Michiru told her, clearly struggling with each word he spoke. "But…that's where it all started for me. And it's because of that that I…I nearly died, Kaname." There was no kidding in his expression, nothing to indicate that he was telling anything but the truth. "And the only reason I didn't is because…of something I found inside of me."

Remaining still, Kaname looked at him, her scattered, distraught mind trying desperately to maintain itself, to put everything together. "The…Shikigami…?"

"Yes," Michiru confirmed. "It was the same way for me at first. The power…it came when I needed it, not when I wanted it to. I couldn't control it at all." He paused for a moment, at which Kaname saw a deep, abiding sadness darken his features. "And if I…I hadn't met certain people, then…I never would have gotten control of them. And I never would have been able to survive…what came afterwards."

"Certain people…?" Kaname repeated blankly. "You mean those…friends of yours?" Michiru nodded again. "But…what happened to you? How could you…how could you have changed so much…in _one day?"_

"I…it was longer than that for me, Kaname," Michiru explained gingerly. "I…do you remember that book we once read? You know? 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'?"

Kaname blinked a few times, her mind struggling to come up with the information required. After an excruciatingly long period of time, the memories began to clear the blockage caused by her terror. It had been when they had been learning to read English at school, and their teacher had told them to select a book and read it as best as they could, and then write a report about it, in order to show how well they had understood what they had read. And the book they had chosen and worked on together had been 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'. As she once again nodded, Michiru smiled wanly at her. "When I went into the storehouse, I…fell someplace else. And it took me a long time before I could find my way back home."

"How…?" Kaname started, only for her throat to clench. Swallowing loudly, she tried again. "How long?"

"Three months," Michiru told her earnestly. "I was gone three months, Kaname. And when I came back…only a few seconds had gone by here."

Gasping, Kaname took an involuntary step back, and was beset by several forces. One of them was a girl who was beset by terror, the one who told her that her brother was lying, that she should run away from him, and never look back. Another was the person that desperately needed someone to hold her, to reassure her, to tell her that everything was going to be alright, to make her fears go away.

And then there was another voice, one of rational thought, which was picking up on every word her brother told her, and putting the pieces together. And this voice told her that he was telling at least part of the truth. She had known right from the beginning that he had changed after going into the storehouse, and more importantly, his story explained how he had changed so much in so little time. As this part of her mind told her this, the fearful part of her said that it was impossible, that there was no way anything so incredible could happen. To which the voice that urged her to trust her brother asked if magical spirits appearing from nowhere was any better.

Her mind overloading from this sudden conflict, Kaname frowned and cocked her head to the side. "But…why didn't you tell me any of this before?" she asked, her voice weak and drained. "Why didn't you trust me?"

"I _do _trust you, Kaname," Michiru assured. Heaving a deep sigh, he shrugged and shook his head. "But…I never could figure out _how _to tell you…any of this. It all seemed so…incredible to me, and I was _living it!"_ He held up his hands helplessly, before letting them fall back to his sides. "My powers, my friends…everything that's happened to me…I didn't know how to tell you about…any of it."

Continuing to watch her brother intently, Kaname sighed as much of the fear and confusion he had inspired in her finally subsided. The things he told her all fit so perfectly, made so much sense, and they all carried with them a ring of truth that she couldn't ignore. "I…" she tried to speak, but she was unable to say anything. Everything that had happened to her that evening had taken their toll on her, and much of the energy she still had left had been provided by a mix of fear and adrenaline. Now these were fading, leaving her to stagger back to the bench and flop down on it. "Brother, I…I didn't…"

Rushing up to his sister's side, Michiru was soon seated next to her. "It's okay, Kaname," he told her, wrapping his arms about her shoulders. He then held her up and held her so that her head was resting on his shoulder. "It's not your fault. I…I should have told you. I…should have found some way to…" A ragged sniffle cutting him off, he looked down and tightened his grip on her. "Oh, Kaname, I'm so sorry…"

Returning her brother's embrace, Kaname sat there as all of her unspent tears came to the fore, and ran down her cheeks. And it wasn't just because of the fears and guilt that still clung to her; she was crying out of relief as well. After all this time, all the excuses and evasions, Michiru had opened up to her. He was her brother again.

"I understand…" Kaname murmured, joy struggling to emerge from the emotional quagmire. "I…I don't know how I'm going to explain…_any _of this to Mom and Dad." Sniffing loudly, she pulled her brother closer. "How am I going to tell them that… that I'm a…a killer…?"

"No, no, no, no! Kaname, you didn't kill _anyone!_" Michiru told her gingerly. Pushing her back just enough so as to be able to look her in the eyes, he smiled tenderly at her. "Remember? I was able to heal him? And I sent for an ambulance, so he…he's going to be just fine."

Unsure whether it because she knew he was telling the truth, or if she was simply so desperate to believe that she was free of the taint of blood, Kaname found herself looking hopefully at Michiru. "R-really? You're sure?" Kaname asked. When he nodded his certainty, she managed a weak smile of her. "Thank you." But a moment later, an ugly possibility occurred to her. "But…what if he tells the police…or someone else about us? What if…?"

"Don't you worry about that, Kaname. I'll take care of everything," Michiru told her, his voice completely resolute. "Right now, let's just get back home. We can talk more about this tomorrow." Then he shot her an encouraging smile, and added, "And when you feel up to it, I'll tell you everything that happened to me after I went into the storehouse that day."

If it were possible, Kaname would have squeezed her brother even more tightly. She was finally going to learn the truth about what had happened to him. She would finally understand how he had come to be the person that had fought in her defense. The wall of secrets between them would at last come down. "Brother…"

"Oh, and I almost forgot." Looking up in surprise, Kaname saw a mischievous smile playing about her brother's face. He then reached over the side of the bench, and picked up the bags of clothes she'd bought that day. "I remembered to pick these up after the battle. Thought you might want them back."

Gasping in surprise and delight, Kaname reached out and gladly accepted the bags. "Thanks…bro," she murmured, sniffling loudly and wiping her eyes.

"You ready to get going?" Michiru asked.

Nodding dumbly, Kaname frowned as something else occurred to her. "But…what are we going to tell Mom and Dad?" she wondered, Michiru's own concerns becoming increasingly clear. "We can't tell them about this, or about what I…I…"

"I know, I know," Michiru nodded as helped her to her feet. "We'll tell them about the attack, but we'll leave out the Shikigami. At least, for now." Shooting him a distressed look, she watched as he responded with one of sad necessity. "I'm sorry, but right now…I don't think we should tell them about this."

Blinking a couple times, Kaname then nodded. "Yeah…I guess you're right," she finally admitted. "I…this is some pretty scary stuff, isn't it?"

"It can be at times," Michiru admitted. "C'mon. Let's go home." Without further protest, the Kururugi twins started forward. Tired, battered, emotionally drained…but together.

* * *

As Kagome donned her pajamas, she looked down at her bed, and gave it a thoughtful smile. _I better enjoy it while I can,_ she thought ruefully. _Starting tomorrow, it'll be back to sleeping on the ground. _Shaking her head at this, the modern priestess gave a long yawn, and prepared to go to sleep. While she had long since gotten used to sleeping out in the open in the Feudal Era, safe in the knowledge that InuYasha would be watching over her and her friends, there was something to be said for modern conveniences and creature comforts. _Oh, well. At least I don't have to worry about anything going crazy for now…_

A few minutes later, Kagome would be kicking herself for saying such a thing. She would be yelling at herself, saying that she should know better than to tempt fate like that. For no sooner had this casual thought been completed, she heard her mother calling out to her. "Kagome! InuYasha. Michiru's on the phone."

"Huh?" Kagome got out, unsure if her weary mind had processed her mother's words correctly.

"Michiru's calling?" InuYasha was heard responding some distance away. "What about?"

"I don't know," Kagome's mother replied. "He just said that it was very important, and that he had to talk to you."

"Well, then give me the phone already!" InuYasha growled. A few seconds later, the half-demon was talking in a somewhat gentler manner. "Hey, Michiru! What is it? Is something…whoa, what's that? What did you say?"

Upon hearing the change in InuYasha's voice, Kagome groaned heavily. _Oh, great,_ she grumbled inwardly, massaging her now-throbbing head. _What's happened _this _time? If it's another monster like Ryokage, I swear…!_ Rolling her eyes, she realized that her night's rest would have to wait, and so she got up and started downstairs. _Whatever it is, it better be important…!_

Taking a moment to think of the things she would do to Michiru if this was anything less than an emergency, and making a mental note to ask Kaede to show her how to make more Beads of Subjugation, just in case, Kagome arrived downstairs and glowered in the direction of the phone, where the half-demon was still talking. "Well, is she alright?" InuYasha demanded, a look of genuine concern on his face. Unable to hear Michiru's response, Kagome simply watched and waited as InuYasha growled unhappily. "Aw, _damn…!_ I swear, those punks better hope that I never run into them, or I swear that I'll…okay, okay. I get the idea! We'll be right there! Just hang on!" Without another word, he slammed the phone down so hard that it seemed impossible that it didn't shatter from the impact before turning around. "It's about time, Kagome! Let's go!"

"Let's go _where?"_ Kagome demanded crossly. "What's going on, anyway? And what did Michiru want?"

"Michiru said that he and his sister were attacked by some punks on their way home," InuYasha reported, causing Kagome to gasp as her anger switched to concern.

"Oh, no…!" she gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth. "A-are they alright?"

"Eh, he says that they're fine, but there's something else. Remember how Sota was asking if maybe Michiru's sister had the same powers he has?" Kagome gave a confused nod, to which InuYasha snorted. "Guess what? There ain't no 'maybes' about it!"

It took Kagome a few moments to realize what InuYasha was saying, and when she did, her face fell in shock. "What? Y-you mean…she has the Shikigami as well?"

"That's right. Whatever happened, it scared her so bad that she summoned her Shikigami without even realizing what she was doing!" InuYasha snarled, his hands tightening into fists. "He didn't say much, but from what I could tell, she's really freaking out about it."

"Whew. Can't say I blame her," Kagome muttered, knowing full well how badly such things could hit someone. Sighing wearily, her immediate desire for sleep forgotten, she nodded before starting back upstairs. "Okay, just give me a minute to get dressed, okay? I'll be right back down!"

"Whatever! Just don't take too long!" InuYasha growled crossly.

As quickly as she could, Kagome raced up to her room and shucked her pajamas. Then she basically threw on some fresh clothes, and then darted back downstairs. "Okay, I'm ready!" she told them. "Let's get going!"

"Okay, then," Mrs. Higurashi spoke, holding up a map. "Here. I marked Michiru's address down on this map."

"Thanks, Mom," Kagome beamed as she took the map, truly appreciative of her mother's preparations.

"Aw, what do we need a map for?" InuYasha demanded. "We already know where the Kururugi Shrine is! We've been there before! Right, Kagome?"

Pausing just long enough to wonder why InuYasha had to be so lacking in common sense, Kagome countered, "Uh, yeah, in the _Feudal Era!_ But that doesn't mean that we can find it so easily in _this _time!" The only response she got to this was a derisive snort, which suited her just fine. "Anyway, thanks again, Mom. We'll be back as soon as we can."

"Okay," Mrs. Higurashi acknowledged. "I just hope that Michiru and his sister are alright."

"They _better _be," InuYasha growled as he followed Kagome out into the night. "Or there's going to be hell to pay!"

* * *

Despite the fact that InuYasha moved as fast as he could, carrying Kagome to the Kururugi Shrine, he still couldn't get there fast enough. It had nothing to do with the weight of his human friend, or the fact that Kagome had right about them needing the map to navigate their way to the modern day Kururugi Shrine. The fact of the matter was that one of the few friends he had was in trouble, had been attacked while InuYasha had not been present to stop it. And in the face of that knowledge, he could never have gotten there fast enough.

As InuYasha bounded along the rooftops, doing his best to stay out of sight, his frustration made itself known as he growled, "How much further until we get to the Shrine?"

"Hmm…let's see…" Kagome muttered, frowning as she tried to study the map as it was blown about by the wind. "We should be getting pretty close now. The Kururugi Shrine is just a couple blocks down this road."

"Right," InuYasha growled as he leapt forward, frowning as he followed Kagome's instructions. While he wasn't overly surprised that a great deal would change in the five hundred years between his time and this modern one, the strange layout of this city still made it somewhat difficult to navigate at times. Especially with none of the familiar scent trails that he knew so well to help him navigate.

Grumbling internally over this inconvenience, as well as his own impatience, InuYasha kept moving forward. Looking at the various houses and other buildings that littered the landscape, searching with all his senses for something familiar. Anything that would mark one of the houses as his destination. Instead, he was forced to listen to Kagome as she said, "We're getting closer. And according to the map, Michiru's place should be on the right side of the street."

Stifling the temptation to make a snide remark about the map's continued existence being dependant on its accuracy, InuYasha focused his attention on the right side. And it was then that something tickled his nose. "Huh?" the half-demon got out, instinctively taking a deeper sniff of the strange scent. A scent that was very familiar. "Ha! There we are!"

"What is it?" Kagome wondered.

"The Shrine! I can smell it!" InuYasha returned, already tracking the source of the scent.

A series of incomprehensible noises echoed in Kagome's throat before she could speak again. "Wait a minute. You can _smell _the Shrine?"

"Yeah. It's got that same strange smell as before!" InuYasha declared, remembering how they had first found Kururugi Village. The strange smell that was mixed with the forest smell that had led them there. "It's coming from…over there!" Coming down from his latest leap, he took a moment to orient himself with the scent before turning enough to follow it. Disregarding the roads and the other houses, the half-demon bounded about, almost completely ignoring Kagome's startled cries as he shot forward.

After what seemed like an eternity, they reached a good-sized house and shrine compound, both of which were a good deal larger than the one where Kagome lived. Also, unlike the Higurashi Shrine, it was much closer to the streets and businesses. And most importantly, from InuYasha's perspective, it was also marked with a sign that said 'Kururugi Shrine'. Snorting in triumph, the half-demon landed to the Shrine itself, where he knelt down and allowed Kagome to disembark.

"Wow. Michiru was right," Kagome marveled as she looked about their surroundings. "The Shrine hasn't changed a bit from the way it is in the Feudal Era. And the atmosphere here…it's just like it was in Kururugi Village."

"Hmph. Nice to know that some things don't change," InuYasha declared before getting down to business. "Alright. Go up and knock and see if you can get Michiru out here."

"Okay. Just make sure you stay out of sight," Kagome cautioned him. Before InuYasha could let her know that he didn't need to be reminded of something so basic, the modern girl was darting off towards the house. Leaving InuYasha to do one of the things he despised most; wait.

Growling beneath his breath, InuYasha positioned himself at the corner of the Shrine, getting into the best possible position to be able to see what was going on without being spotted from the house. And thus he was able to see everything as Kagome made her way up to the front door, and gave it a polite knock. Several seconds passed before the door opened, revealing a person that looked much like an older, bearded version of Michiru himself. "Who's there?"

"Um, hi…!" Kagome squeaked in response, taken aback by the stern, forbidding voice she had been greeted with. "Um…I'm Kagome Higurashi. One of Michiru's friends…"

The person who could only have been Michiru's father relaxed a bit at this introduction. "Oh, yes. You're the one Michiru spent the night with last week." Frowning somewhat, he considered his visitor for a time before saying, "Ms. Higurashi, please forgive my bluntness, but this is not the best time for visitors."

"No, no, I understand!" Kagome replied, smiling like an idiot as she took a step back. "I didn't mean to intrude but…I just got a call from your son, and I just wanted to check on him, that's all."

There was another pause as the Kururugi patriarch considered Kagome's words. "I see," he muttered, visibly considering the matter. After a short time, he turned back to the house and called, "Michiru! Michiru, you have a visitor!"

"What? A _visitor?"_ Michiru cried out in response. A short time later, he appeared alongside his father, his face falling in surprise. "Kagome, what the – what are you _doing here?"_

Now it was Kagome's turn to look surprised. "Why…I'm checking up on you, of course!" she told him, almost laughing as she spoke. When Michiru failed to laugh or say anything in response, she tried again. "We…when you called before, you said that…you'd run into trouble on the way home, and…!"

"Uh, yeah, yeah, but Kagome, I – I didn't mean for you to -!" Michiru started, only to cut himself off. "Umm…would it be easier to talk about…whatever it is you wanted to talk about…outside?"

"Hmm…yeah, I think you can safely say that," Kagome told him.

A drop of sweat rolling down Michiru's forward, something InuYasha didn't understand at all, the Kururugi boy then turned to his father. "Um…Dad? Would you mind if Kagome and I talked in private?"

"I…suppose it would be alright," Mr. Kururugi replied after a moment's thought. "But try and keep it brief, alright? It's late, and I don't want you two disturbing Kaname. She's been through enough as it is."

"Right. Thanks, Dad!" Michiru returned before exiting the house. Pausing just to let Kagome take the lead, he then followed her over to the Shrine.

As soon as the Kururugi boy rounded the corner of the Shrine, InuYasha stepped forward. "Hey, Michiru!" he began as his friend ground to a halt before him. "We got here as fast as we could!

His entire body jolted with surprise, Michiru looked hard at his friend. "InuYasha, _what are you doing here?"_ he gasped out, looking from him to Kagome in astonished horror.

Of all the things that InuYasha would have expected his friend to say, this had not even come close to being one of them. "Why…because we were worried about you, that's why!" he retorted aggressively. "When you called on the phone, you said that you and your sister had been attacked by some thugs! That she was going nuts about her having your powers, and -!"

"I know, I know!" Michiru groaned despondently. "But…InuYasha, when I called you, I didn't mean for you to come by _tonight!_"

"Huh?" The world seemed to list on its side as InuYasha's brain rocked from the impact of what Michiru had just said. Time seemed to stand still as he struggled to recover, and when it did, his astonishment promptly changed to anger. "What do you mean, you didn't mean for us to come by tonight! I thought you were worried about your sister and her powers waking up and all that!"

"I am, InuYasha! Believe me, _I am!"_ Michiru assured them. Then he cast a glance back at his house, apparently wanting to make certain that no one came out and spotted them. "But…Kaname's been having a real rough time with this. With a lot of things, really, and…she's having a hard time coping with what happened as it is. I don't want her to have to deal with more than one shock at a time, and meeting an actual half-demon…than might be more than she can take right now."

"That makes sense. I remember how hard a time I had dealing with everything when I first landed in the Feudal Era." But even Kagome conceded this point, she frowned at her friend. "But…what do you mean that she's been having a rough time lately? What, are your parents fighting or something."

Michiru gave a slow shake of his head before heaving a deep, weary sigh. "No, it's nothing like that, Kagome." He then went on to explain that Kaname had noticed that something was different with Michiru after he'd returned from the Feudal Era. "I didn't even realize how…noticeable it was," he admitted with a helpless shrug. "But…Kaname noticed, and when I didn't tell her about what was going on with me…"

"I see," Kagome nodded. "Then you haven't told her…?"

"I was about to. You know…when those creeps started coming after us," Michiru replied somewhat defensively. "And I've already told her some of the stuff that happened to me after I fell back in time, but not a lot of it. I don't want to hit her with this stuff all at once." Again, Kagome nodded, and then frowned when the Shikigami User let his gaze fall to the ground. "Also…when I was fighting those creeps...they were planning on cutting off one of her fingers, and beating her up and even worse! And when I saw that…"

"They were _what?"_ InuYasha snarled. Growling deep in his throat, he shook his head wrathfully. "Bunch of cowards…I sure hope you gave them what they had coming!"

"Uh…I don't think you need to worry about _that,_ InuYasha. I had to use my Shikigami in order to stop them," Michiru informed him. "But Kaname…I really took her by surprise. And that, combined with her own Shikigami coming out…"

"Yeah. That's not the kind of thing a person can handle very easily," Kagome agreed sadly.

Nodding, Michiru looked back and forth between his friends. "Look…don't get me wrong, I really do appreciate you both coming out here. I really do. But…when I called you and asked if you could come by, what I meant was I going to see how Kaname was doing in the morning. And if she felt up to meeting you two, then would it have been okay if you stopped over before heading back to the Feudal Era." Frowning heavily, he wore his guilt like a shroud of mourning. "I don't want to keep these things secret from her anymore, but at the same time, I don't want to push her into anything before she's ready."

"Of course you don't," Kagome murmured, placing her hand on Michiru's shoulder. "She's your sister. It's only natural that you want to take care of her. Right, InuYasha?"

The half-demon didn't respond at first, simply because his own problematic history when it came to family. But then he looked at his friend, and remembered that his was a different situation. "Yeah, sure," InuYasha finally agreed. "And…yeah, we can stop by tomorrow morning, if you think she's up for it. And if not…" Taking a moment to study his friend, he gave him a wry grin. "Hey, it's not like there's anything stopping us from stopping back in this crazy world a little later, right?"

"Huh?" Michiru gaped, with Kagome echoing this sound a moment later.

"After all, Naraku's dead, right? All that's really left to do is track down the Sacred Jewel Shards, and with the compass, that's turning into a real easy job!" InuYasha grinned clapping Michiru on the back. "So I figure we could come back here in a couple weeks, and you can introduce us all then! How's that sound?"

Michiru spent a few minutes blinking at his friend before finally smiling. "Thanks, InuYasha. I really do appreciate it."

"Eh, it's no big deal!" InuYasha returned, all too happy to see his friend smiling once again. Then he turned his attention to another, less pleasant subject. "So…I guess you won't be able to stop by Kagome's place tomorrow then, huh?"

His smile immediately fading, Michiru shook his head. "No. Sorry about that, but…until Kaname's Shikigami are fully awakened and under her control, they're still dangerous. So I want to get to work on waking them up and teaching her how to use them as soon as possible." Letting loose a derisive snort, he added, "Besides, I need to spend some time with her. Make up for lost time."

"I know how that feels," Kagome told him. "Okay. Call us tomorrow if you think Kaname can handle visitors. If not…well, I guess we'll see you in a couple weeks, then."

"Yeah," Michiru nodded. "Oh, uh…can you do me a favor and tell everyone back in the Feudal Era about Kaname and her powers? And that I'm sorry I didn't have time to record another message for them?"

"Sure! No problem!" InuYasha assured him.

Kagome nodded her agreement, but then looked back at their friend's house. "Anyway, you better get inside before your parents start wondering what's keeping you," she told him. "We'll head back home. Be sure to let us know tomorrow whether or not Kaname's up for meeting us."

"I will," Michiru promised them. Before turning to leave, he added, "Thanks, you two. I really appreciate it."

The both of them stood there and watched as Michiru retreated back into his home, waiting until he was out of sight before speaking again. "We better get going, InuYasha," Kagome murmured wearily. "I need to get some sleep, and I get the feeling tomorrow's going to be a _long_ day."

This was a feeling that InuYasha had as well. "Tell me about it," he muttered gruffly, looking up at the Kururugi residence. Several of the windows were lit up, but only two of them showed any activity going on beyond them. One was on the first floor, and the other was on the second. And judging by the sound of voices speaking indistinctively, the second floor room was where the majority of Michiru's family was. Which made it very likely that that room was where Michiru's twin sister was.

As he thought these things, an idea began to form in InuYasha's mind. And idea that immediately received fire from one part of his mind, which quickly reminded him that Michiru had said his sister was not in any condition to handle additional shocks. It also chimed in that what he was considering seemed like an excellent way to wind up on the receiving end of one of Kagome's 'sit' commands. But at the same time, he couldn't help but feel concerned. His friend was very clearly upset about what happened to her, which meant that whatever happened was probably a lot worse than he let on. The fact that he was unable to do anything to help still didn't sit well with him, and he wanted to see with his own eyes what had happened.

Finally, telling himself that he wouldn't be seen, and that while he wasn't fond of Kagome's sits, this might well be worth one, InuYasha started, "Then again…wait here, Kagome." A noise of confusion her only answer, the half-demon leapt past her, and darted over to the Kururugi house, making certain to stay away from any of the rooms that he could hear people in.

"InuYasha! What are you doing?" he heard Kagome cry out, her voice muted somewhat as she tried to avoid being heard by anyone but him. "Get back already! Don't do something stupid!"

InuYasha ignored that. He had spent many of his childhood years dodging full demons that sought to devour him or slaughter him simply for existing, and while he wasn't especially fond of the subtle approach, he knew full well how to employ stealth when it suited his purposes. Which was he was able to leap up on a section of roof that divided the first and second floors softly enough so that the sound of his landing was barely audible even to his keen ears. _Besides, there's no way Kagome can sit me right now! Not unless she wants to put a hole in the roof!_ Glancing down towards Kikyo's reincarnation, the half-demon could easily tell that such thoughts were burning through her mind. Her fist was clenched and her eyes were narrowed with frustration. _Of course…she might decide to do it later…_

Grumbling inwardly at this and taking a moment to picture all the things he'd like to be able to do if he ever got free of the accursed necklace that sat on his neck, InuYasha crept along the roof, the voices he heard becoming clearer. "Kaname, are you _sure _you don't need anything else?" came the voice of a kindly, mature woman, not unlike Kagome's mother.

"I'll be…alright, Mom," answered another female voice, this one a good deal younger. "I…I just need some rest, that's all."

_That must be Kaname,_ InuYasha thought. A snarl slowly twisted his lips as he realized how heavy and broken her voice sounded. _Dammit…she sounds like she went through hell tonight!_

A heavy sigh was heard even as InuYasha thought these things. "Alright, then, but if you need anything, _anything _at all, then please, let me know. Okay?" Kaname didn't say anything to this, but it was possible she nodded. Especially given that her mother then said, "And Michiru, thanks for staying with Kaname tonight."

"It's no problem, Mom," Michiru assured her. "It's the least I can do, after everything that happened."

"I know, but…" The Kururugi matriarch trailed off, but then told her children, "Well, I'm going downstairs for now. But I'll be back to check on you both in a little bit."

"Okay. Thanks, Mom," Kaname replied, a sentiment that was quickly echoed by her brother. This was then followed by sounds of people embracing and kissing each other, and then a door being pulled open.

"I love you two so much," Michiru and Kaname's mother told them, her words borne of both deep sadness, and deep love. "Good night." The twins said good night as well, and the then door closed, and footsteps were heard moving away from their room.

As InuYasha hovered next to the bedroom window, he found himself momentarily drifting back to times long past. When he had been the subject of such sentiments, when he had known a mother's love, caring…and tears. Things that had all been cruelly stolen away from him a long time ago. Wincing as these memories, at the same time tender and painful, came to the fore, the half-demon gave a quick shake of his head before focusing on the present. Michiru and Kaname were alone in this room, and most likely focused on each other. He was never going to get a better chance to look in on them then he was now.

All hesitation forgotten, InuYasha crept up to the window, slowly angling himself so that he could see and not be seen. As he did so, Michiru asked, "So…how are you _really_ doing, sis?"

"I…I'll be okay. I think," Kaname returned, her voice sounding even more strained. Whatever air of good cheer she had forced into place gone. "But…when you told Mom and Dad what happened…"

"I know, I know. I figured it would freak them out," Michiru admitted solemnly. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that."

InuYasha had gotten close enough to be able to see Michiru, as well as a good portion of Kaname's room. In terms of décor, it reminded him of Kagome's, but the feel of it, as well as the scent, were quite different. Different…but warm, gentle, and inviting, nonetheless. "Yeah, I know," Kaname replied. "I guess I understand why you didn't want to tell them about…well, you know. If they got that upset about us getting mugged, then…"

"Yeah. Imagine how they'd react to finding out that I spent three months in another world, fighting monsters and all that," Michiru commented ruefully. Studying his friend's position, InuYasha noted that he wasn't looking anywhere near the window. And thus, he could move in closer without risk of being seen. And so, he adjusted his position, and was able to get his first look at Kaname.

Michiru's twin was lying in bed, a strained smile on her face as she and her brother looked at each other. The first thing InuYasha noticed as he looked at her was her undeniable resemblance to her twin. They had the same hair color, the same eyes, and many of the same physical characteristics. Their respective scents blended together so much as to be virtually indistinguishable. But at the same time, Kaname was unmistakably female, with a full figure hidden beneath her pajamas and bed, and her hair was done differently, in a manner reminiscent of Utsugi's. But what really caught InuYasha's attention was the haunted, tormented look she wore.

Something horrible had happened to her, InuYasha realized. Something far worse than a simple encounter with modern bandits, worse than the shock he had seen on Michiru's face when he first discovered his own powers.

InuYasha remained at the window for a short time longer, just long enough to listen to the twins talking and comforting each other. But soon, he left their window, and again exercising caution, he darted back over to the Shrine. As soon as he got there, he was confronted with an angry glower from Kagome, whose eyes were narrowed and her hands were at her hips. "InuYasha, what do you think you were doing?" the modern priestess demanded. "Are you crazy? Were you _trying _to be spotted, is that it?"

"Aw, gimme a break, Kagome!" InuYasha growled, immediately annoyed. "I just worried, okay? All I wanted was to make sure Michiru's sister was okay! What, is there something wrong with that?"

Growling in her throat, Kagome leaned forward and glowered irritably at him. "No, there's nothing wrong with that. What's wrong is that you were practically _begging_ to be spotted, when Michiru told us that he did _not _want Kaname or their parents to see you! Besides, Michiru already told us how she was doing, so why -?"

"No, he didn't, Kagome. He didn't tell us everything," InuYasha broke in somberly.

"What?" Kagome got out, frowning as her anger shifted to confusion. "Wait a minute…you're not saying that…you don't think Michiru was lying to us, do you?"

"Hey, I never said _that!"_ InuYasha growled, sharply annoyed by this implication. Then his anger faded, and he looked back up at bedroom window where the twins still conversed. "I just…I think more went on then Michiru told us. Like…I don't know. Like something happened that he didn't want to talk about."

Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but then frowned in consideration. "I guess it's possible," she reluctantly decided. "It's not like it'd be the first time he downplayed something because he didn't want to bother us about it."

"Exactly," InuYasha grumbled, thinking of his own secrets and how much he wanted to keep them a secret. Knowing from experience that there were many people with their own hidden pain. Things that they kept away from even their best friends, simply because those wounds hurt too much for them to allow to be exposed. "Anyway, I wouldn't bet on him wanting us by here tomorrow. I get the feeling he's going to have his hands full for a while." Gritting his teeth, the half-demon drove his fist into his hand. "Dammit it to hell! If only I'd been there! I could have gone with Michiru to meet his sister, and -!"

"No, you couldn't. Not without drawing attention," Kagome countered, her voice firm and gentle at the same time. "Besides, you can't blame yourself for this. There was no way you could have known something like this would happen."

Growling heavily, InuYasha considered these words. He knew that Kagome was right, but that didn't change how he felt. It didn't stop him from picturing himself coming to the Kururugi's defense, if only he had been there. And it didn't erase the sad faces worn by Michiru and his sister that he had just witnessed, or the guilt that was currently gnawing at him. "Maybe," he finally conceded. "Anyway, let's get going. We've got a lot of work ahead of us."

"Right," Kagome concurred as InuYasha looked back at the Kururugi Shrine, at the lit window where the twins were. The picture of their saddened faces still with him as he knelt down to let Kagome get on his back.

_I swear, if I ever catch up with whoever did this to them, the bastards won't live long enough to regret it!_ InuYasha vowed as he carried Kagome back home. The sound of a bird flapping its wings echoing in his ears as he made his way back across Tokyo.

* * *

When the morning sun crept through his window the next morning, it found Michiru lying in his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. His eyes were bloodshot, and dark bags hung beneath them, a testimony to a night where sleep had completely eluded him. Not that he had pursued it with any real effort to begin with.

Wincing as the sun hit him in the face and feeling as he was being massaged with sandpaper, Michiru groaned wearily before rolling about in his bed. _It's morning already…?_ he thought blearily, wishing he couldn't believe it. But the truth was that he had felt every hour of night creep by with agonizing slowness. The first few hours had been spent in his bedside vigil with Kaname, waiting and watching until she either fell asleep or was able to fake it well enough to convince his parents to send him to his own room. After that, he spent a lot of time in his room busying himself, everything from watching a few late night shows on his television to reading through books that he already knew by heart. He double-checked various spells and techniques from the Kururugi Shrine, and did some simple sketches and doodles. Anything to try and tire himself out, to get himself weary enough to fall asleep.

Unfortunately, Michiru had only been partially successful. For while he had been to physically exhaust himself, he had completely failed to settle his mind enough to allow him to sleep. Thoughts of the battle with the thugs, the horrible moment in which Kaname's powers had been unleashed, and his sister running away from him like he had been spawned from a nightmare all came back to torment him. And each time these things turned and stewed within his thoughts, the burden of guilt he bore increased that much more. Guilt that told him that he should never have that battle come out the way it had. That he should have done something to stop it. That he _could _have.

In his mind, Michiru kept replaying the moment in which he had come to Kaname's defense. It pictured him using Blue Sky Slumber to knock out his enemies, or Great River Torrent to blast the goon that had holding Kaname down without risk of hurting his sister. Instead, he had focused on the closer target, the one with the knife, and had ultimately put the other creep on the spot. He had forced him to take Kaname hostage. He had forced his own _sister_ into that horrible position in which her powers had been forced to manifest.

Consciously, Michiru knew that these alternate plans had had their share of problems. But his conscience refused to listen to logic, and had thus kept sleep at bay as it had continued to berate him.

Groaning miserably as the sun continued to fill his room ever more, Michiru threw aside his blankets and forced himself into a seated position. There was no point in even trying to sleep now; the sun was up, and he knew that there was a great deal that he had to do. And until his responsibilities had been fulfilled, he knew he would never be able to sleep easily.

Getting to his feet, Michiru looked down at himself, at the rumpled school uniform he had worn to bed that night. Not even wanting to think about his appearance, he quickly smoothed it out and ran his hand through his hair, figuring that this should make him presentable enough to roam about the house. At least until he was able to spend some quality time in a nice hot bath. In the meantime, he exited his room and headed downstairs, fully intent on slapping a large amount of caffeine into his system.

As soon as the Kururugi boy arrived in the kitchen, he was jolted into a slightly greater state of wakefulness when he saw Kaname there, her entire body shaking from lack of sleep and leftover adrenaline as she spread some butter on a piece of toast. Lurching to the side, Michiru bumped into the wall, causing his sister to jump slightly as she turned to look at him. "Oh…Michiru…" she muttered haggardly. "Didn't see ya, bro…"

"Uh…yeah," Michiru replied dumbly. "Sorry about that, sis."

Waving his concerns aside, Kaname looked at him with eyes that were every bit as bloodshot as his own were. "Guess I'm not the only one who had a rough night," she muttered, forcing a wan smile to hang limply from her lips. "Did you get any sleep at all?"

"No," Michiru admitted candidly. "You?"

Kaname immediately shook her head. "Every time I closed my eyes, I…I was back there. And it…it was all happening all over again." Her silence filling in her minor omissions, the Kururugi girl glanced over at the dining room. "I'm just glad Mom and Dad aren't up yet. I don't think I can deal with them right now."

"Yeah. I know how that feels," Michiru admitted sadly. "Listen, Kaname…later today, I'm going to have to talk to you about…you know."

It took a few moments for Kaname's sleep-addled brain to process this statement, but when it finally did, her fake smile completely collapsed as she nodded. "Okay." As soon as this was said, footsteps were heard on the second floor, jolting both the twins. As one, they looked up, and then at each other. And as one, they realized that they couldn't continue their discussion then and there. Issuing sounds of resignation, the two of them prepared for themselves a minimal breakfast before proceeding to the dining room.

The twins were basically nibbling their food when their parents came downstairs and spotted them. "Oh, there you two are!" their mother cooed gently, darting into the dining room. "I was so worried about you!" Taking Kaname in her arms, she pressed her cheek against her daughter's before pulling back to look at her. "How are you doing this morning? Are you feeling any better?"

Heaving a weary sigh, Kaname answered, "I'm okay, Mom. Really."

As their father came into the room and looked them over, he gave Kaname a frown that told them both what he thought of that statement. "Are you sure? Because you like you haven't slept in over a week," he gently stated as he swung his eyes towards his son. "And neither do you, for that matter."

"Dad, I…" Michiru began, his exhausted mind giving out before he could think of something else to say.

"Oh, c'mon, dear! Don't be so rough on them!" their mother scolded their father. "They've had a bad enough time as it is without you making it more difficult!"

"I know, I know. It's not that easy to get over something like this." The Kururugi patriarch looked at his children, his eyes filled with sympathy. "I'm just glad you got back here in one piece, that's all."

"Trust me, so am _I_," Michiru returned with as much energy as he could. Which wasn't very much.

"That's right. That's what really matters here," Mrs. Kururugi told them as she released her death grip on Kaname. Then she frowned at the food sitting on the table. "Oh, don't tell me that's all you're having for breakfast!"

"Mom…" Kaname groaned wearily. "It's okay. I'm…not very hungry, anyway. I…I just…"

"No, you need something more filling than just some tea and toast!" Mrs. Kururugi insisted before heading towards the kitchen. "Here! I'll get some soup and rice going right now. And…let's see…I'm sure I have some fish here someplace…"

"Mom!" Kaname protested.

"Now, now, do me a favor and humor your mother," Mr. Kururugi told her. "And do something to humor _me _while you're at it, and try and take it easy today. Okay or not, I can tell when my children need some sleep! And trust me, this is one of those times!" The shrine priest then sat himself down at the table, and looked at his children. "Honey, do me a favor and get a fresh pot of coffee going for us? I think I'm going to need it."

"I've already got one going," Mrs. Kururugi responded. To which the twins looked at each other…and groaned in defeat.

The rest of the morning went by on a kind of automatic of pilot. The twins spent breakfast trying to force themselves to eat the filling meal their mother prepared while doing their best to dodge the questions fielded at them by bother their parents. Already exhausted, their morning repast soon left them completely drained in body and spirit. It was none too soon that they finally ate enough to satisfy their worried mother that they could finally be excused.

"Now, I want you two to go right to your rooms!" Mrs. Kururugi instructed them. "I want the two of you to take it easy today! Now, I'll be up to check up on you both a little later. If you want anything more to eat later, then _please_, just let me know, okay?"

"Okay, Mom," Michiru returned, forced to struggle to keep his voice at least moderately pleasant as he left the dining room. Knowing full well that there would be no chance of beginning Kaname's training until later that evening, and only if they could find the chance to slip out of the house unnoticed.

While Michiru was frowning at this unwanted reality, Kaname shot him a glance. "So…is this what it's been like for you these past few months?"

"Pretty much, yeah…" Michiru agreed, rolling his eyes just for the heck of it. Then something in the back of his mind slowly sparked something. It was true that he couldn't start working with Kaname now, but he did have the chance to start bringing down more of the walls of secrecy that still stood between them. "Hey, sis…before you go to your room, there's a couple things I'd like to talk to you about."

Kaname blinked at him a few times before she managed to respond. "Oh? Well…okay." The two of them then made their way inside Michiru's room. Closing the door behind him, he made certain that the door was locked before sitting down at his desk.

Waiting until Kaname was seated at his bed, Michiru looked hard at her. She was exhausted, physically and emotionally, and was clearly in no shape to meet InuYasha and Kagome in person. But at the same time, he could still see the guilt that she so clearly carried with her. "First of all…Kaname, there's something you need to know," he began, picking his words as carefully as he could. "If we're going to keep what happened last from…happening again, then…I'm going to have to train you how to control your powers."

"What?" Kaname started, sitting up straighter at this. "Train me…?"

"That's right," Michiru confirmed. "It's the only to put your Shikigami under your control. And…I'm going to have to warn you right now that…I'm not sure how good a teacher I'm going to be. Don't get me wrong, I'll do my best, but…"

As Michiru trailed off, his sister frowned in consideration. "I…okay, but…" she muttered uncertainly. "Didn't you say that...you met someone who trained you? Can't we just ask them to…?"

"That's impossible, I'm afraid," Michiru informed her, recalling Kakuju's last moments as he knelt by her side, holding her hand. This memory causing a lump to form in his throat, he decided against mentioning this for the time being. "And even if it…it weren't…the portal that sent me back is gone. So right now, there's only one way to or from the Feudal Era, and…it doesn't work for anyone but Kagome…and InuYasha."

"InuYasha?" Kaname repeated blankly before her eyes lit up with comprehension. "Oh, right. You…you mentioned him last night. He's…he's from the Feudal Era, right?"

Pausing just long enough to listen and make sure that there was no one listening outside their room, Michiru nodded. "That's right. Now…I've been working on a way to use that portal, but…I haven't had a chance to test it. And things the way they are…I think it'd be best to for me to at least…teach you a few basics before we try and go there."

"Huh? But…why would we want to go there, anyway?" Kaname wondered nervously.

"Because…well, for one thing, there are some spells that are…kind of dangerous. Not exactly the kind of thing you…can use indoors," Michiru explained, wincing at the memory of the abandoned shop he'd been using for training until he'd blown it up. "And…well, the thing is…I've got other friends in the Feudal Era as well. People I'd…I'd like to see again."

This clearly took Kaname by surprise. "Really?" she murmured, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Wh-what are they like?"

"Well…maybe it'd be easier for me to show you what they're like." A muted squeak of surprise was heard as Michiru stood and began fussing with his TV. "A little while ago, Kagome made a video of a quick trip through to the Feudal Era, and she got everyone on camera. And…if you'd like, I could show it to you."

"Really?" Kaname murmured, her eyes wide with curiosity. "Then…okay. Sure!" Leaning forward on the bed, she watched intently as Michiru set up the video and began playing. Once the video started, he made his way over to the bed and sat next to Kaname, explaining everything that was happening, such as the passage through the Bone-Eater's Well, and the trip to Kaede's Village. A trip in which InuYasha came into view, and looked right at the camera.

"C'mon, Kagome! Let's go!" InuYasha grumbled impatiently. "The sooner we get this taken care, the better I like it!"

Glancing over at his sister, Michiru watched as her eyes bulged right out of their sockets. "Wh-what? D-dog ears?" Kaname sputtered out. Wincing in realization, he watched as his sister brought her hands to her mouth. "Oh, my…he's – he's -!"

_Not human,_ Michiru concluded in his head, and getting ready to say something to that effect as well.

"Absolutely _gorgeous!"_ Kaname gasped. Now it was Michiru's eyes that were bugging out of their sockets. Just barely avoiding falling out of bed, he jumped up and stared in amazement at his sister. Kaname's cheeks were burning, a tiny fangirl smile on her face as InuYasha turned about and started forward again. "Omigosh…those ears are so adorable…!"

"Uh…if you…say so…" Michiru got out, taken completely by surprise by his sister's enthusiastic response. "Um…anyway, you'll be seeing the others soon enough." Doing his best to regain his composure, he began pointing out some of the sights as Kagome and InuYasha made their way through the village and finally arrived at Kaede's house. "Now, you see the old lady with the eyepatch? That's Priestess Kaede, and…well, I guess you could pretty well say that she's in charge of the village. And that over there is…"

"Oh, would you look at that cute little guy over there?" Kaname smiled, pointing at one of the people there.

"Uh, yeah. That's Shippo," Michiru nodded. "He's a fox-demon."

Jumping at this, Kaname looked in shock at her brother. "A demon?" she repeated incredulously. "You're kidding me! _That_ cute little thing? A _demon?_"

"That's right. And InuYasha, he's a half-demon," Michiru explained. Smiling fondly, he thought back to a time shortly after he'd arrived in Kaede's Village. "Actually, that's something that took me by surprise, too. I'd always thought that all demons were scary. I never imagined that I'd actually be traveling with them and making friends with them, too." Looking back to Kaname, he smiled as he thought back to his own journeys. "One of the first things I learned was that demons came in all kinds of different shapes and sizes. There are dog-demons, fox-demons, wolf-demons, bat-demons, that sort of thing. And some of them can be scary, while others…well, they can look almost like normal people. Like girls or boys or…"

"Wow," Kaname murmured as her brother trailed off. "I…I never imagined that…"

"Heh. Me neither," Michiru admitted before returning his attention to the video. He pointed out Miroku and Sango, feeling his cheeks burn once again as he lost himself in the Demon Slayer's lovely visage. Then he pointed out Kirara, and listened as Kaname cooed at the two-tailed cat, who was in her tinier, more adorable form.

When the video finally came to an end, Michiru sighed in longing. "Anyway, Kaname…those people, they're my friends. And all that time I was in the Feudal Era? I was fighting alongside of them until I finally came back," he explained. "And…they're one of the reasons why I've been so busy. Because…I want to be able to go see them again."

For a time, Kaname considered this, before at last nodding. "Thanks, bro."

"For what?" Michiru wondered.

"For telling me the truth," Kaname returned. Lying back on his bed, she gave him a sleepy look. "So…when do we start training?"

"As soon as possible. Ideally, I'd like to get started tonight," Michiru explained. "If you're feeling up to it, we could sneak out after Mom and Dad go to bed."

"Okay." Pressing her lips together, Kaname gave Michiru a nervous look. "Anyway I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep soundly until these…Shikigami of mine are under control." Nodding his understanding, Michiru wrapped his arm about his sister's shoulder. "But…"

"But what?" Michiru wondered.

Drawing closer to her brother, Kaname asked, "Later on…could you tell me more about what you did in the Feudal Era? About all your adventures and everything?"

Smiling as he looked in to Kaname's eyes, Michiru answered, "Of course I will. I'll tell you everything that happened to us back there. I'll tell you stories that my friends told me, as many as I know." Relief and delight shown in his sister's face as the two of them held each other. They remained that way until they at last fell asleep, finally feeling a bit more at peace with themselves.

* * *

The twins slept most of the day away, only waking up when their parents called them for meals or when they wanted to check up on them. They did their best to assure their mother and father that they were both alright, and make sure that they did not come to suspect that anything was amiss. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the day came to a close and their parents finally went to bed. Freeing Michiru and Kaname to surreptitiously make their way out of the house and make their way over to the storehouse.

"Are you sure no one will see us out here, bro?" Kaname muttered gingerly as they crept past the former gateway to the past and into the wooded area just beyond it. "I mean, this doesn't seem like a very good hiding spot to me."

"I know, Kaname, but we don't want to get too far away. If Mom or Dad decide to check our rooms and see that we're not there…well, at least this way we can say that we couldn't sleep and went out for a walk," Michiru explained, leading the way with a flashlight in hand. As they made their way into the wooded area, he turned the beam this way and that, making absolutely sure that there was no way anyone could see them. "Besides, we're not going to be doing any real training. All I'm going to do tonight is wake up your Shikigami. Later on, we can find someplace to train where nobody will notice us." Turning about, he then used the cord at the end of the flashlight to hand it up from the end of a convenient branch before muttering, "And where nobody cares what happens to the building…"

Once satisfied that the flashlight gave them suitable light, Michiru turned and looked at his sister. "Okay, Kaname, before I start, I think I should try to explain what exactly the Shikigami are." When Kaname nodded to this, he cleared his throat and gathered himself to speak. "Basically, they're manifestations of different aspects of ourselves, spirits whose power links the wielder to the forces of nature. It's a spiritual power that exists in all creatures."

"Wow. Sounds pretty awesome," Kaname admitted. "But…what can you do with them? I mean…other than…?"

"Well, the Shikigami can be used for a lot more than fighting," Michiru told her. Then he took the wooden sword he'd claimed from the gang and drew it from his belt. "For example, it can be used to manipulate material objects, and shape them any way you want."

"Really?" Kaname gaped, looking intently at her brother. Clearly wondering what he was about to do.

"Yeah. Like this." Holding up the bokuto, Michiru concentrated on summoning his Wood Shikigami. ""Oh, towering green wood, spawn the implements of magic! Green Wood Shaper!" With this invocation, the snake that was his Wood Shikigami appeared in the air above him. Kaname gasped in surprise, but didn't run away from him. Instead, she stood her ground and watched as the Shikigami wrapped itself about the sword, sinking into it. As the wooden blade lit up with magical light, pentagrams etched themselves into the sides of the hilt, and mystical engravings appeared along the blade. The blade itself became sharper and larger, and the material of the sword itself became harder and more enduring.

When the blade's transformation was complete, Kaname gaped in surprise. "Wow…"

"Yeah, and that's just the beginning," Michiru smiled as he looked down at the transformed sword. "Now, one thing that you have to remember is that, before you can affect a particular aspect of nature, you have to have awakened the Shikigami that relates to that aspect. For example, I wasn't able to affect anything made of wood until my Wood Shikigami had awoken." Sliding the transmuted weapon back into his belt, Michiru came up to his sister. "Now…are you ready for me to wake up your Shikigami?"

"Uh…yeah, I think I am," Kaname responded, her excitement subsiding. "Um…this isn't going to hurt, now is it?"

"No, no! Of course not!" Michiru told her, smiling broadly as he approached. "You'll feel a slight tingle, but that's about it."

Still uncertain, Kaname looked warily at her brother. "Okay, then…so what do I do?"

"Just take hold of my hands," Michiru instructed her. After a moment's hesitation, his sister reached out and gently took his hands in her own. "Good. Now close your eyes, and stay very still. I'll take care of the rest." Still nervous, Kaname gave a single, shaky nod of her head before clamping her eyes shut. Recalling how he had once felt such nervousness himself, Michiru furrowed his brows in concentration, and began summoning forth his own power. At once, a pentagram spun into being at their feet as he channeled his own Shikigami power into his sister. As his own power found and mingled with those possessed by Kaname, he could feeling the magical power within her stirring. Power that rose up to the surface, causing her whole body to light up.

Before the light even began to subside, Kaname's eyes shot wide open as she let out a gasp of astonishment. "Oh, wow…" she moaned, taking a step back and shaking her head in amazement. "I…I never imagined that it would feel so amazing…!"

"Yeah. It took me by surprise, too," Michiru thought, thinking back to that moment of awakening. "It was like I'd…only been half-awake before then, and..."

"Exactly!" Kaname grinned, placing her hand over her heart. "It…it makes me feel like…like…what the -?" Jolted by his sister's outcry, Michiru whipped his head about, trying to find out what had startled her. Then he spotted a deep glow out of the corner of his eye, and looked about to see another pentagram appearing at Kaname's feet, a brilliant red glow rising up from it.

"What the -?" Michiru gasped as the Fire Shikigami took form and let out a mighty roar. Her shock growing that much more when a wave of blue light appeared and rose up, her Water Shikigami taking shape. "Umm…bro…is this _supposed _to happen…?"

"No, I…I don't understand!" Michiru gaped, watching in shock as the Wind Shikigami rose up and joined its fellows. Looking at this latest manifestation of Kaname's power, the Fire Shikigami roared furiously before shooting for into the air. As if this was a signal, the other two Shikigami began moving of their own accord even as the Wood Shikigami began to manifest as well. "This shouldn't be –!"

It was only then that, watching as the Shikigami began moving about more chaotically, that Michiru realized what had gone wrong. He had channeled too much of his own spirit familiars' power into Kaname, and not only was it waking up multiple Shikigami all at once, but the excess power was sending them into action without direction from Kaname.

"Aw, _damn!_ Kaname, hang on!" Michiru cried out, leaping forward and taking his sister into his arms as her Thunder Shikigami rose up and howled fiercely. The golden wolf rose up to join its fellows, all of which were flying about chaotically, completely out of control. All the while Kaname clung tightly to her brother, her momentary euphoria forgotten in the face of renewed terror.

Wincing as the lion of flame shot past them, roaring its fury, Michiru groaned inwardly. _I don't believe this! I haven't even started training her, and I'm already messing up!_ Wincing at the bird's screeching as it flapped its wings to avoid the Wood Shikigami, the Kururugi boy shook his head in dismay. Hoping against hope that this wasn't a sign of troubles to come.

* * *

Author's Notes: Well, I hope these new scenes with InuYasha's first sighting of Kaname, as well as Michiru's early problems with Kaname's training satisfy. Please, read and review! And maybe check out my other stories?

(Disclaimer: I do not own The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.)


	8. Yearning Hearts

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Chapter 8: Yearning Hearts

The wind whipping through her hair, the sense of speed and freedom, the feel of Kirara's fur and muscles as she they moved beneath her, and the glorious view that flying through the sky afforded her. These were all things that Sango had long since had gotten used to, and yet never tired of. But as she and her friends now followed Kagome's magic compass as it pointed the way to the next Jewel Shard, the Demon Slayer was contending with a new sensation. One that was very foreign to her, and yet already so warm and welcome that she never wanted it to end. And that was the sensation of her brother's hands placed securely at her side, the awareness of him as they traveled. The knowledge that her little family was at long last complete.

"We've been flying a long time now, Sango," Kohaku murmured as he looked over towards where the remainder of their group, all of them flying securely on Hachi's back. "Do you think we're getting close to this Jewel Shard?"

"I don't know, Kohaku," Sango admitted as she glanced over at Kagome. Taking in the look of concentration on her face as she held up the compass, as well as the beam of light that was their guide. "But we've been going this way for over a day already, so I'd have to think that we're getting closer."

Sensing Kohaku nodding more than anything else, Sango sighed as she looked at the beam. _It would have been nice if we'd had that compass right from the start,_ she couldn't help but think. As much as the Demon Slayer tried to focus on the way things were, instead of how she wanted them to be, the immense convenience of the compass's powers could not be overlooked. Instead of looking far and wide, and counting themselves lucky if they just happened to come upon a single shard every so often, all Kagome had to do was focus on the magical artifact, and a short time later, a new Jewel Shard would be as good as theirs. _And that's not the only thing that's changed…_

Shaking her head thoughtfully, Sango took a deep breath, and thought of one of the major changes in her reality. That Naraku, the monster that had been at the heart of her suffering, as well as those of her friends and many other people, was at long last dead. Even now, with her brother at her side and Miroku's Wind Tunnel sealed and gone, it still seemed incredible to her.

There was a portion of her mind that told her that it had been a trick, of course. It certainly wouldn't have been the first time Naraku had faked his demise in order to obtain some hidden objective of his, such as Kaguya's celestial magic, or Utsugi's extraordinary Shikigami powers. And this was a portion of herself that was difficult to silence. But at the same time, neither she nor her friends could see any indication that Naraku's death had been faked this time. They had all seen how shocked he had been when Utsugi had sacrificed himself to give them the chance to destroy Naraku, the horror that had been evident on his face when InuYasha, Kagome, and Michiru had landed the decisive blow. They had made sure to check Kohaku for any sign that Naraku had left any fragment of his own flesh in the young Demon Slayer's body as he had before. And perhaps most telling of all, not only had Naraku's castle been abandoned, but his remaining incarnations were now dead as well. And the fact that Kagura had been killed by Naraku himself was an excellent sign that there was no trick involved here.

And that was not the only change that was evident. Everyone, even InuYasha, seemed happier and more upbeat in the wake of their sworn enemy's demise. Kagome was certainly more cheerful, if for no other reason that she was now able to spend more time at home without endangering the group. And Miroku was calmer, more at ease, secure in the knowledge that he had his entire life to look forward to, unthreatened by the Wind Tunnel curse.

Unfortunately, not all the changes had welcome. With Naraku's foul aura no longer in evidence, all the demons that had once cowered in hiding, doing everything they could to avoid being killed and being made into another part of his body, felt free to delight in their viciousness. And now that Naraku's Jewel Shards scattered about the land, they were now readily available to any demon seeking their power.

Even as this grim thought ran its course, Sango jumped when Kagome cried out, "Get ready, everyone! I think we're getting close!"

"Yes, I agree," Miroku seconded. When Sango looked towards him, about to ask him how he could possibly know that, the monk pointed at the compass's beam. "See the way the beam is moving? In order for it to change directions so quickly, we must be very close to our destination."

"Hey, you're right!" InuYasha agreed, sitting up to get a better view of the upcoming terrain. "It looks like it's pointing at that forest down there!"

A quick glance was all Sango needed to confirm the half-demon's analysis. "In that case, we better descend just outside the forest," she decided, studying the terrain below. "Look. The compass is pointing towards that area at the edge of the forest. It shouldn't take too long to get to it on the ground." Then she cast a look at Hachi, whose flying form was several times larger than Kirara was. "And don't think it would be a good idea to try and fly down there from here."

"Boy, _I'll _say!" Hachi chimed in. "There's no way I'd be able to fit through all those trees! Not with _you _guys on my back!"

Smiling slightly at this, Miroku intoned, "Very well, then. Set us down at the forest edge, Hachi. We'll take it from there."

"By that I hope you mean that you'll take whatever fighting you're going to be doing from there as well," Hachi muttered warily as he began his descent. Sango couldn't help but chuckle at this; while the shapeshifting tanuki was a good ally to their group, one of their few friends, he was far from the bravest of souls, and had no trouble admitting it, either.

Before long, the group had touched down on the ground, and while Hachi was changing back to his normal form, the rest of them were starting towards the woods. "No doubt about it," Kagome murmured as the compass pointed into the forest. "The Shard's in there somewhere. And it's really close."

"Good!" InuYasha grinned, his eyes flashing with excitement. "That Jewel Shard is as good as ours! You ready, everyone!"

"Uh, wait a minute!" Shippo sputtered nervously. "Kagome, do you want me to record this battle for you?"

"Oh, sure! Thanks for reminding me, Shippo!" Kagome smiled warmly. Setting down her backpack, she rummaged through it, and soon came up with the strange mechanical eye that she called a video camera. "Here you go! And be sure to take good care of it!"

"Right! Just leave it to me!" Shippo boldly vowed as he accepted the device.

Meanwhile, InuYasha was watching this exchange with more than a hint of annoyance. "Aw, not this _again…!_" he grumbled sourly. "Kagome, you've had Shippo tape or record or whatever you call it every fight we've been in since you got that stupid thing!"

"And what's wrong with that?" Kagome wondered as she put down her bike's kickstand and set it next to Hachi. "In case you've forgotten, Wyvern's been paying us all very nicely for the stuff we've gotten him!" Then she glanced at her bike, and smiled rather smugly. "How else do you think I managed to pay for my new bike, huh?" While InuYasha was snorting derisively at this, the modern girl smiled in a pleased manner. "And it's a good thing, too. My old bike was so beat up I don't think it would have lasted much longer as it was! And this mountain bike can handle a lot more abuse!"

Though Sango didn't know much about bikes, or Kagome's world in general, she couldn't help but agree that her new bike looked a lot more durable. It was pink, like her old bike, but that was where the resemblance ended. It was a lot thicker and more rugged, was reinforced in several areas with thicker, spiked wheels, and had a rack of sorts over the rear tire that was loaded with supplies.

"Yeah, well, it'll probably be beat up in no time," InuYasha muttered disdainfully.

Her expression souring, Kagome glowered at the half-demon for a time before grumbling, "Anyway, it's not like I'm forcing Shippo to do anything. He volunteered to do all the recording, remember?"

"That's right!" Shippo piped up enthusiastically. "What, is there something wrong with me wanting to help Kagome?"

Before InuYasha could say anything, Sango said, "Of course not, Shippo." Then she looked at the mechanical eye, and felt her cheeks burn somewhat. "Just do me a favor and try not to make any…recordings of me."

"I must say, I don't think I'll never understand why you're so reluctant to allow pictures to be taken of you," Miroku chimed in, shaking his head with feigned bemusement. "After all, a woman of your beauty shouldn't be so concerned with concealing herself from the eyes of others."

"Yeah, right! With _you _around?" InuYasha snorted derisively, apparently forgetting about Shippo and Kagome as he glared at the monk. "That'll be the day!"

"Um…excuse me?" Kohaku spoke up. As Sango and the others turned to face the youthful Demon Slayer, he frowned nervously, as if he really didn't want to speak up but couldn't see any way around it. "Shouldn't we start looking for the Shard now?"

It was then that Sango was treated to the rare sight of InuYasha being rendered totally speechless. The half-demon's jaw fell open, as if he was dumbstruck with shock at having to be the one reminded that there was a Sacred Jewel Shard at stake. A condition that was increased when Kagome responded, "Thanks, Kohaku. It sure is nice to have another person with common sense hanging around with us!" That said, the girl from the future started towards the forest, pausing just long enough to glare at them over her shoulder. "Well? Are you coming with me or not?"

"Huh – but – hey, wait a minute!" InuYasha snarled as he recovered his capacity for speech. With a growl of frustration, he leapt after Kagome, with the rest of the group only a short distance behind. Sango took hold of her Hiraikotsu while Kohaku hoisted his kusarigama, and Shippo exploded in a puff of smoke, transforming into a large, pink blob that floated overhead. Holding the camera to his eye, the transformed fox-demon followed the rest of them from a safe distance as they made their way into the forest.

In an instant, the ambient light levels decreased, and the air lost much of its warmth, and the only sunlight available came down in tiny patches through the many layers of branches above. Her heart starting to beat just a bit faster, Sango tightened her grip on her weapon, aware of her friends tensing up in preparation for battle. Whoever or whatever possessed this Jewel Shard, be it human, beast, or demon, they were now wandering through its territory. No matter what powers they had, they had to be ready for the worst.

Even as Sango thought this, a low growl caught her attention. But this was not the sound of an enemy; it was Kirara, baring her fangs as she snarled defensively. "Huh?" Kohaku jumped, looking at the two-tail in clear surprise. "Kirara? What's wrong?"

"She senses something," Sango stated, narrowing her eyes as she scanned the many trees that surrounded them.

"Yeah. I smell it, too." Looking up, Sango watched as InuYasha sniffed the air, his own fangs showing. "Smells like…some kind of lizard…or snake." Snorting his disgust, the half-demon took hold of the Tetsusaiga's hilt. "Whatever it is, it's close."

Taking a battle-ready position, Miroku held up his staff. "Everyone! Get ready!" Acting on instinct honed by experience, each of them shifted their position, turning to watch a different part of the forest. "Kagome! What's the compass say?"

"We're definitely dealing with a demon here. And it's close. _Really_ close!" Kagome announced, readying an arrow even as she kept an eye on the compass's beam. "In fact, it – _what the -?"_

"Kagome? What is it?" InuYasha demanded as Sango turned towards her friend. Wondering what had happened, she soon saw that the beam was radically changing direction. Pointing up into a nearby tree.

"_It's above us!"_ Sango cried out, rearing back to swing. With a grunt of effort, she sent the Hiraikotsu flying into the higher boughs. The air was filled with the sound of living wood being torn apart, followed shortly by wood crashing against earth as the branches slammed down nearby. And there was another noise, one the Demon Slayer couldn't place. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that the compass was pointing in a different direction.

"Whatever it is, it's on the move!" Miroku realized, drawing forth several of his sutra talismans as the Hiraikotsu came back down to bury one end of itself in the ground. All the while, the beam of spiritual light bounced about seemingly at random.

"Not for long, it's not!" InuYasha snarled hatefully as he leapt up into the air, drawing the Tetsusaiga. Landing on a thick branch, he crouched there for a moment before bounding after the end of the beam of light. "Alright, you bastard! Quit hiding and – _aarrrggghh!"_ Without warning, the half-demon's forward leap was terminated, and instead he was sent crashing downwards. He slammed into the ground with terrified force, sending up clouds of dust and sundering the ground.

"InuYasha!" Kagome cried out as she raced up to his side. As Sango pulled her weapon free of the ground, she quickly looked over InuYasha. There was a large, bloody gash torn in his kimono, and he was visibly hurting. But while it looked bad by human standards, the Demon Slayer knew that InuYasha had and could take a lot worse than that, and keep right on going.

_Still, it'd be nice if Michiru were here now,_ Sango frowned, recalling the benefits of his healing magic, especially in the middle of a battle. _He…I…_

"What happened?" Kohaku cried out, breaking Sango from her thoughts. "Where's the demon? What attacked InuYasha?"

"I think I might have an idea." Miroku then cried out as he sent his sutras flying through the air, following the compass beam. The talismans flew up near the branches…and smacked into nothing but air. The talismans crackled with spiritual power as a pained roar filled the forest. An instant later, the air beneath the sutras visibly rippled, revealing the shape of _something_ hanging above them.

"The damned thing's _invisible!_" InuYasha snarled, completely aghast as the creature roared once again before the talismans exploded into flame, overwhelmed by the demonic aura. The talismans destroyed, the demon's outline completely vanished, again leaving the compass pointing at apparent nothingness. Then its beam began pointing off to the side even as they heard something rushing through the air.

"Everyone! Focus on the beam!" Miroku ordered, bringing out more sutras. "We might not be able to see the demon itself, but as long as we keep track of the beam -!"

"Right!" Sango growled before again hurling the Hiraikotsu. The massive boomerang whipped through the air, heading right towards the point indicated by the compass. Before it could strike home, the branches beneath the beam bent before the compass began pointing off in a different location, leaving the Hiraikotsu to begin its return trip, having completely missed its target. Grunting beneath her breath, the Demon Slayer caught her weapon, and grimaced as she realized the depths of their problem. Even though the compass could point out the location of their foe, she still couldn't see the demon itself. She couldn't read its body language, couldn't see where it was looking. Couldn't tell if it was preparing to leap…or attack.

Her train of thought having reached its conclusion, Sango immediately worked out the only possible solution. "Kagome, Miroku! Aim off to it's sides! We have to corner this thing! Keep it from moving!" Then she looked over at her demonic companions. "Kirara, InuYasha! As soon as they attack -!"

"Yeah, we get the idea, Sango!" InuYasha growled, driving his claws into his wound. When he pulled his hand out, it was dripping with blood. "Let's do this!"

"Right!" Kagome gritted as she and Miroku took aim, sending a sacred arrow and a barrage of sutras off to the sides of the compass's beam. The two attacks passed neatly to the sides of the invisible demon, which roared in a mix of frustration and confusion as they impacted the nearby trees. But more importantly, it didn't move.

While the unseen demon was trying to figure out what to do next, InuYasha again leapt into the air, drawing back his blood-soaked claws. "Take this! Blades of Blood!" the half-demon snarled as he slashed at his enemy, sending bands of blood flying out it. The bands hardened in mid-air, becoming sharp as knifes before they connected with the area indicated by the compass. The demon again cried out, its camouflage flickering beneath the bombardment as Kirara flew up, shooting around it to come at it from behind. With a feral roar, the two-tailed came down upon her prey, sinking its saber-like fangs in its hide.

Crying out in pain and rage, its shroud of invisibility flickering badly, the demon struggled with its attacker, thrashing frantically as it tried to dislodge Kirara. But Sango's fearsome companion would have nothing of it, and instead pressed her advantage, digging in with her claws as well.

"Way to go, Kirara!" InuYasha grinned as he shot forward, raising the Tetsusaiga over his shoulder. "Now, just hold that thing right there!" Leaping up towards their embattled enemy, the half-demon let cried out his fury as he focused on the spot the compass marked as being the location of the Sacred Jewel Shard. The heirloom blade of InuTaisho struck home, burying itself in the demon's side and sending gouts of blood spurting all over the place, spattering InuYasha as well. But he wasn't dissuaded by something as simple as that, and instead twisted the mammoth blade about in the demon's flesh. Until at last the compass began pointing away from the weakening demon, and instead marked the ground beneath it.

"The Jewel Shard! It popped out!" Kagome gaped as their monstrous opponent's camouflage flickered badly before finally giving out. Revealing the creature to be a monstrous reptile with bulging eyes that moved about independently of one another, and a long, curled tail.

"I see. A chameleon-demon!" Miroku shouted as the monster continued to fight for its life, despite the fact that it was rapidly growing weaker. Unable to attack lest they accidently hit their companions, the rest of them were force to watch as the demon's massive eyes rolled downwards, focusing on the point marked by the compass. Then it turned its head towards InuYasha, and without warning, opened its huge maw and sent its tongue flying at him like a mammoth spear. The attack was poorly aimed, being driven by instinctive fear more than anything else, but it was enough to knock both the half-demon and his sword away. As InuYasha fell to the ground, the demon leapt down as well, clearly intent on reclaiming its Shard of the Sacred Jewel.

"Kirara! Get clear!" Sango called out, gearing up to throw her massive boomerang once more. The demon was desperate and vulnerable, its own desire for the Jewel Shard making it a target. And as soon as her two-tailed companion heard her and dutifully obeyed her command, the Demon Slayer was ready to take advantage of this. "Alright, you! Now – _eeewwwaaauugghh!"_

In an instant, Sango completely forgot about the battle. She forgot about the Jewel Shard, the danger her friends were in, or the fact that she was in real danger of losing this window of opportunity to launch an all-out attack before the chameleon-demon could become invisible or escape with the Shard. She forgot about everything as her body shuddered with revulsion at the sensation of her posterior being casually stroked by a certain monk that had snuck up behind her.

Her cheeks flush with humiliation and outrage, Sango whipped about to confront the man who was once again treating her body as his personal plaything. _"How many times do I have to tell to keep your hands to yourself?" _she roared, tensing to launch the Hiraikotsu at an entirely different target. The monk blanched with sudden fear, but before Sango could complete her throw, Miroku ducked down and grabbed her by the waist, sending her spinning about. Not even realizing what had happened until it was too late, the Demon Slayer launched her boomerang with every ounce of her strength and fury right at the chameleon-demon.

Still intent on claiming the Jewel Shard, and probably dismissing an attacker that wasn't even looking at it, the chameleon-demon didn't realize its peril until it was too late. All it had time to do was open its mouth to cry out, a cry it never completed as the Hiraikotsu struck it in the mouth, sending chunks of flesh flying every which way as it ripped through one end to other, until at last the demon fell to the ground, cleaved in two by the devastating strike.

Momentarily stunned by this development, Sango could only stand there and look goggle-eyed at the demon as its flesh began to fall apart, dissipating until nothing was left behind but its bones. "Excellent shot, Sango. I must say, your technique is nothing short of perfection," Miroku commented as he started past her, completely unconcerned as he made his way over to where the Jewel Shard had landed. "Now, Kagome, if you'd do the honors?"

"There! Got it!" Kagome beamed as she held up the Jewel Shard, the evil energy that coursed through it purified by the touch of her spiritual power.

"Excellent! Great work, everyone!" Miroku beamed, turning to look at the rest of them. "Now, how about we make our way to the next town? I'm sure we could use a chance to rest and recover, and…"

As Miroku went on, Sango continued to glower hatefully at him for a time before she finally turned and looked past the demon's remains, where her Hiraikotsu had embedded itself in the ground. Pausing just long enough to picture herself giving the monk the beating he so richly deserved for treating her body as a plaything, as well as manipulating her emotions in this way, she moved to retrieve her massive boomerang.

"Sango?" Glancing over her shoulder, Sango spotted her brother walking a short distance behind her. "Are you alright?"

_No, I'm not alright,_ was what she thought as she glanced over at Miroku, who was busy conversing with Kagome as InuYasha and Shippo drew closer to get a look at their latest Jewel Shard. Acting like nothing had happened, showing no signs of pleasure at his perverse contact with her, nor any guilt at manipulating her the way he had. What she actually said was, "I'm fine, Kohaku. Just…"

Words failing her, Sango grunted as she pulled her Hiraikotsu free of the ground. "Are you sure?" Kohaku went on as she slung the massive boomerang onto her back. "Because, well…I saw what Miroku did back there."

A hiss of humiliation and lingering anger escaping her lips, Sango turned towards her little brother, her cheeks again burning. "Oh. I see." Chafing at the humiliation that wrapped around her like a coarse blanket, she stood there for a time, unable to look at her friends, or even at her dear brother.

While Sango struggled to find something to say to this, her brother took a step closer. "Sango…I know there's a lot I still don't remember. Stuff like my…_our _parents, and where we used to live," Kohaku continued with greater concern. "But…I _do _care about you."

Despite the situation, this simple statement brought a smile to Sango's face. "And I care about you, too," she told her younger brother as she turned about, keeping her smile in place. And continuing to do so as she started forward. "C'mon. We better get going."

"Huh?" Kohaku gaped, his eyes widening in confusion as his sister started past him. "Um, wait, Sango!"

But Sango didn't wait. Instead, she made her way over to InuYasha, who had already sheathed the Tetsusaiga. "Are you alright, InuYasha?" she asked him, trying to keep her voice straight. To keep any emotion from showing in her words, save for the concern she felt for her fellow warrior. When the half-demon turned and looked at her, she eyed the gouge in his flesh. "Your wound. Do you want us to look at it?"

"What, _this _little thing?" InuYasha asked incredulously. Looking at the Demon Slayer like he couldn't believe she would actually ask something so stupid, he then struck a cocky pose. "C'mon! It's not like it's any big deal!"

Sango considered this for a moment, and then nodded. "Alright. But it might be a good idea to take it easy for a while," she decided before turning towards Kagome. "I think there's a village fairly close to here. We can stop there for the night, and rest up for the day."

"Huh?" Kohaku started again, a frown hanging on every word. "Sango, are you…?"

"Sounds good to me!" Kagome beamed happily. "I could certainly use a nice, hot bath!"

Giving the modern priestess a look, InuYasha frowned before shrugging. "Eh, why not?" the half-demon decided, acting like he couldn't care less. "I guess we can stop someplace for the night. It's not like we're in any big hurry."

"Great! Oh, I can't wait to sleep in an actual bed tonight!" Kagome grinned even as Sango smiled. InuYasha's obsession with the Jewel Shards and impatience in tracking them down had subsided a great deal in recent times, making him a good deal more obliging when it came to things like resting in a village and such. "And I _know _I can use a real _hot _bath!"

"So can I, Kagome," Sango admitted, well aware that her Slayer's garment was now soaked with sweat. Then she turned back towards her brother, who was still looking at her incredulously. "C'mon, Kohaku. Let's go."

His jaw falling a bit more, Kohaku stood there for a time, until he finally came up alongside of her. "Uh…okay, Sango," he muttered as Kirara came up to join them. "Sango, I…"

"What is it, Kohaku?" Sango murmured. Already aware of what it was her brother wanted to talk about.

Frowning at the way she spoke, the low affection in her voice masking the control exercised over her words, Kohaku asked, "Sango…something's bothering you, isn't it?" Glancing over at her brother, she saw his features harden with growing amounts of determination. "I mean…back there, with Miroku…"

"Just forget about that, Kohaku," Sango told him, her control of her voice slipping somewhat. "It's not important."

"No. Something's wrong," Kohaku persisted. "What he did back there…I've seen him do it before. More than once."

"I know about that," Sango frowned, her smile fading as she thought about all those other times. Times even before Kohaku had rejoined them. Times beyond her ability to count when Miroku would fondle her right in front of everyone, without care or consideration for her feelings. Of the humiliation she felt at being treated like a plaything. "And…I know you're upset about that, but…"

"But that's not what I'm talking about!" Kohaku protested, drawing a wince from his sister. "I mean…of course I don't like it when he does that. But…why didn't you slap him for it?" A puzzled squeak escaping her lips, Sango paused and looked querulously at her brother. "Every other time he's…done something like that, you've always slapped him for it. So…why not this time?"

Heaving a deep, weary sigh at her brother's words, Sango turned just enough to look back at her friends a short distance behind. Kagome was currently fussing over InuYasha's wounds, while the half-demon was trying unsuccessfully to get her to leave him alone. Shippo was fussing with the camera, looking over some of the things that he had captured. And Miroku…he was looking up at the two Demon Slayers, clearly wondering why they had stopped. His face still unmarked.

It was true, Sango knew. Virtually every other time Miroku had dared touch her or spy on her in the bathes or act towards her in some other inappropriate manner, she had made it clear that his advances were inappropriate. She had slapped him, she had lectured him, she had beaten him within in an inch of his life, and on at least one occasion, had thrown a boulder on top of him. And through it all, no matter what she had done, he had not apologized for his actions, never demonstrated the tiniest shred of remorse, and never given even the slightest indication that he would ever attempt to mend his ways.

Miroku was the same way he was when she had first met him. Despite the fact that he was more cheerful and relaxed in the wake of Naraku's demise, he was still the same person. And no amount of lecturing or punishment would change the way he treated Sango or any other woman. Not ever.

As these thoughts ran their course, the subject of them made his way up to the survivors of the Demon Slayer village. "Is something the matter, Sango?"

"We're just fine, Miroku," Sango answered before glancing back towards her brother. "Kohaku just wanted to talk to me about something."

"Ah. I see," Miroku replied in his usual pleasant manner. "So, do you have any plans for when we get to the village?"

Turning away from the monk, Sango started forward again. "Not particularly," she answered, marginally aware of Kohaku and Kirara starting after her. "I might do a little shopping later, but nothing special."

"Hmm. Is that so?" Miroku mused as he drew up closer behind her. "In that case, perhaps we could find a nice place to have dinner tonight."

"That's a good idea," Sango admitted. "I'm sure we could all use a good meal to celebrate. Especially with how busy we've been lately."

"True. Very true," Miroku mused thoughtfully. "And we all need to relax a little. But…I was thinking that maybe…you and I could…spend a little time together." Either unaware or uncaring of the looks given him by Kohaku and InuYasha, the monk smiled dreamily. "After all, it has been a while since we've gone off on our own. And…there are some things that I'd like to talk to you about myself."

Lowering her eyes, Sango managed a brief smile. "Miroku…" she began…before whipping about and grabbing hold of his right wrist before his errant hand could find its way to her posterior again. Clenching it so tightly that the cartilage snapped, she yanked Miroku off-balance and pulled him down so that they were looking each other eye-to-eye. "Either keep your hands to yourself…or I'll _break them!"_ With a grunt of frustration, Sango shoved the monk back before marching away, her entire body tense with unspent emotions. Feeling the stares of everyone else boring into her back.

"Whew," she heard InuYasha mutter in a thoroughly impressed voice. "I'm _really_ glad I'm not you right now, Miroku!"

* * *

"Ahhhhh…now _this _is more like it…!" Kagome smiled happily as she and Sango made their way out of the inn's bath. Both of them clad in robes with towels wrapped about their heads, warm and relaxed from a well-needed soak. "It feels like it's been forever since we were able to just _relax _like that!"

"It sure does," Sango smiled, her previously foul mood forgotten as they made their way to the room they were sharing. "Not since we stopped at Akebi Village. Remember? After we took care of those spider-hatchlings that showed up last week."

"Ugh. Now _that's _something I'd rather not remember!" Kagome grimaced, recalling the old temple. The last time she'd been there was shortly after Michiru had first arrived in the Feudal Era, and they'd had to combat a massive spider-demon. "I still can't believe that we missed all those monsters the first time we were there! The whole place was _crawling_ with them!"

"They probably hadn't hatched yet," Sango responded with a shrug. "It's not surprising, actually. The egg sack was probably hidden somewhere else in the temple, and started hatching some time after the battle." A sadness that shadowed her features as she averted her eyes. "When I went with Father and others to go after demons like that, we always made sure to sweep the area, just in case there were any offspring hidden somewhere."

Well aware of the pain in Sango's voice, subdued as may be, and how hard it was for her to talk about her past and her lost loved ones, Kagome replied, "It's too bad you and Miroku weren't with us, then. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had to fight through all those hatchlings to get that Jewel Shard!" Suppressing the urge to shudder at the memory of all those demons, of the old temple crawling with hordes of spider-demons, the reborn priestess groaned. "Ugh! Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl!"

"I know," Sango agreed humorlessly. "I'd still like to know how a second Jewel Shard wound up in the same area. And so soon after you were all there."

"So would I," Kagome admitted. Then she stopped and very nearly slapped herself in the head. "Oh, would you look at us? Our first chance to relax in days, and what are we doing? We're talking about spider-demons in a creepy old temple!" Unable to help herself, the modern priestess shook her head and chuckled, and laughed even more when Sango did the same. "I don't believe this! What is wrong with us, anyway?"

"I don't know, but I think we'd be a lot happier if we stopped talking about work and started enjoying ourselves again!" Sango declared with a wry look. "If I know InuYasha, then tomorrow after breakfast, we're going to be right back on the road. Whether we like it or not!"

Nodding her agreement, Kagome sighed longingly as she looked back towards the baths. "It's too bad, too. I'd love another soak before we started out tomorrow."

"Same here," Sango admitted as they arrived at their room. "Still, at the rate we've been finding Jewel Shards, it might not be that much longer until we've gotten them all back."

"I hope so," Kagome agreed as she shed her robes before grabbing her regular clothes. After a few minutes getting dressed, the two girls exited their temporary lodgings, ready to go about their day. "So, anyway, you were going to do some shopping?"

Nodding, Sango gave a sad smile as she fingered her kimono. "It's been a while since I went shopping for clothes. And with everything we've been through, all my things are starting to wear out."

"I see," Kagome replied, eyeing the Demon Slayer's garment. Though Sango took very good care of her belongings, there was doubt that her kimono had seen better days. "Well, I hope you find something nice. Me, I'm going to do some looking around. You know…just wander about for a while, see what I can find."

"Then I'll see you later, then," Sango said before she started away. Leaving Kagome to smile as she set her own plans for the day in motion.

Making sure to avoid InuYasha or any of the others, Kagome set out into the village, looking around and wandering, just as she had told Sango. But she hadn't mentioned was that she was looking for a specific something. Or rather, _someone._

There was no doubt in Kagome's mind that Sango and Miroku were not only in love with each other, but were quite possibly one of the most compatible couples she had ever met. Both had trained all their lives to fight demons, both had lost family and had suffered as a result of Naraku's scheming, both were skilled fighters who planned out their actions very carefully before executing them. And while they had their problems every now and again, it was obviously only a matter of time before things got serious between them.

_Especially now that Naraku's dead!_ Kagome thought, suffering a moment of bitter anger towards the monstrosity that had caused so much misery to them all. _Miroku's safe from his Wind Tunnel, and Sango's got Kohaku back. So really, there's nothing left to stop them from getting together!_ This thought conjured up a lovely image in Kagome's mind; Miroku and Sango, dressed for a western style wedding, leaving the chapel as everybody, including her own family watched the newlyweds leaving to start their new life together. _Now…all I have to do is get things going between them!_

Of course, Kagome knew that this would be easier said than done. Sango was busy making up for lost time with Kohaku, and was completely absorbed in making sure that he recovered from his time under Naraku's thrall. And while she was certain that there was nothing serious between Michiru and Sango, there was no doubt that the Demon Slayer did care for him, and had been seriously affected by his return to the modern world. As for Miroku, he still had his foibles, with the most troublesome of which being his weakness for beautiful women and his hands wandering where they ought not to go.

_Which he reminded us about this morning,_ Kagome thought, frowning as she recalled exactly how the chameleon-demon had been felled. And while that particular tactic of his may have aided in the destruction of more than a couple powerful demons, it certainly wasn't the kind of thing that would help him woo the girl of his dreams. _And the way Sango reacted…_

As this memory replayed itself in Kagome's mind, she found herself understanding why someone like InuYasha, not exactly at his best in dealing with certain subtleties of emotion, would think that there was nothing between the Demon Slayer and the monk. After all, it wouldn't be the first time Sango had reacted violently to Miroku's advances. But at the same time, Kagome knew all too well how stupid men could be, and that there were times that the only way for a girl to make a point was to beat it into their heads by force. _If only Miroku would stop fooling around and actually get serious about wooing Sango, I'm sure things would get better for them in no time!_

Which, of course, was why Kagome was wandering about the village, in search of the errant monk. After all, if Miroku was too thick to do things the right way, then it was up to her to give him a swift kick in his complacency. As she wandered about the village, investigating the various shops and merchants that littered the area, she kept an eye out for any sign of Miroku. During this time, she picked up a few items that she felt might be of interest to Wyvern. Mainly odds and ends like simple jewels and clothes to charms touted to ward off bad luck and what-not.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Kagome overheard several girls chatting amongst themselves. "Oh, my goodness! Do you suppose he was right about my fortune?"

"Who knows?" another girl commented. "But it sure would be nice if he was!"

A third girl giggled loudly at this. "I don't know about that…but he sure was a handsome monk! And the way he looked at me…!"

There was another round of giggles, but Kagome had already heard enough to know she was on the right track…and also to be somewhat annoyed. _I don't believe this! Miroku picks _now _to do some of his fake fortunetelling? When Sango's already mad at him?_ Rolling her eyes at the idiocy demonstrated by the normally level-headed monk, she started towards the girls. "Um, excuse me?" she called out. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but overhear you talking about…a fortuneteller?"

"Hmm?" one of the girls frowned as they turned to confront her. "Oh, and…who might you be? You're not from around here, are you?"

"I would certainly think not!" another girl commented as she frowned at the modern priestess. "Not with clothes like that!"

"Uh, yeah…" Kagome groaned as she glanced down at her school uniform. Something that she had been reminded on more than one occasion that did _not _fit in the Feudal Era. "Yeah, I'm…just passing through, actually." Laughing nervously, she pushed her momentary embarrassment aside and focused on business. "Anyway, um…that fortuneteller you were talking about…could you tell me where I could find him?"

"Oh, him? Of course!" one of the girls replied. "Just go down that street and take a left at the market. That's where we saw him." Then she frowned somewhat apologetically before adding, "Of course, he might not be there now, but…"

"That's okay. You've been a big help," Kagome assured the girls before starting in the direction indicated. "Thanks a lot! Bye!" Not bothering to stick around to listen for any possible response from them, she followed the directions given, hoping that Miroku stayed true to form and milked whatever crowd he had garnered for all it was worth.

It turned out that her hopes were not in vain. As soon as she turned the corner, Kagome spotted the wayward monk, who was currently telling the fortune of a very attractive older woman. "My goodness," she cooed as Miroku caressed her palm, making a show of reading the lines there. "You really think so?"

"Absolutely. You are destined to be swept off your feet by a handsome gentlemen," Miroku informed her, virtually oozing gentlemanly charm. Then he gave her a special smile, and added, "Of course, considering what a radiant woman you are, I should think that would come as no surprise to you."

Miroku's client smiled that much more, her cheeks burning at this compliment. "Oh, my…!"

Meanwhile, Kagome continued to watch from a safe distance as the monk continued to explore the lines of his client's hand. _Ugh…one thing's for sure. You sure can lay it on with a trowel, Miroku! _she thought with a roll of her eyes. _Really, why can't you put that kind of effort into charming Sango? You two would already be married if you put even half this much effort into pursuing her!_

For what felt like forever, Kagome watched and waited, passing the time by wondering what exactly caused most guys to act like such idiots. A topic of thought that grew more and more intense, until at last Miroku's client departed, apparently very satisfied with her supposed fortune. Her patience very nearly at its end, she dashed over to his position. "Miroku!" she cried out, determined to have her say before some other woman took the monk's bait. "Hey! Miroku!"

Turning at the sound of her voice, Miroku responded, "Why, Kagome. What are you doing here?"

_I'm here to beat some sense into thick skull of yours!_ she was sorely tempted to say. "Well, I was just walking around town, and I happened to spot you," was what she actually said. "Say, do you feel like stopping for a bite to eat? I haven't had lunch yet, so…"

"A splendid idea," Miroku decided, rising to his feet. "And as it happens, I spotted a small diner nearby. I haven't had the chance to stop in yet, but the aromas coming from there are quite alluring."

"Okay, sounds good," Kagome replied, gesturing for him to lead the way. Bowing his head, Miroku obliged, and before long, the two of them were seated at the place in question. True to Miroku's word, the small diner was filled with the aroma of good food, and was rather comfortable by the standards of the Feudal Era. And, unsurprisingly, there was a lovely young lady manning the counter, who was extremely cheerful and eager to please a monk in service to Buddha.

"So, then, Kagome," Miroku began after sampling some of his pork cutlets. "I take it that you're enjoying your day off."

"Enjoying it? If it weren't for the fact that we have to get going again tomorrow, I'd suggest taking _another _day off!" Kagome answered in all honesty. "With everything that's been happening, I feel like I'm barely keeping up with it all!"

Nodding sagely, Miroku shrugged and said, "Very true. We certainly have been active as of late. But then, that's to expected, all things considered."

"Yeah, I know," Kagome agreed. Already trying to figure out the best way to send this conversation in the direction she needed it to go.

Kagome had learned two very valuable things about people like Miroku and InuYasha in her travels with them. The first was that asking them or telling them to do a particular thing was a spectacular way to encourage them _not _to do that thing. They had their own minds, and could be incredibly stubborn and intransient when they felt like it, which was often. Which meant that, if she wanted Miroku to start going after Sango, she had to make it _his _idea to do so, and not just tell him. Which was why she sent the conversation in another direction by saying, "And it's not like things have been easy back home, either."

"I'd imagine so," Miroku nodded. "By the way, how have things been since Ryokage's attack?"

"Hmm…okay, I guess. At least the only thing he completely demolished was a prison," Kagome muttered before jumping the conversation again. "And then there was the mess with Michiru and his sister. Ugh!"

"Oh, yes. I'd almost forgotten about that." Pausing to enjoy more of his meal, Miroku then took a sip of his tea before he went on. "It must've been quite the shock for him to discover that his sister has the same powers as him."

"Believe me, it was!" Kagome confirmed. "You should have seen Michiru after what happened. He was a total wreck, and from what I understand, his sister was even worse."

Miroku gave a slight nod before saying, "That's not surprising. Such an unexpected event would doubtlessly be very traumatic for everyone involved. And since such power is so rare in your time, his sister…what did you say her name was again?"

"Kaname," Kagome reminded him.

"Right. Kaname…well, considering that so few people believe in such powers in your world, it must've been extremely difficult for her to find out about it that way," Miroku stated in a solemn manner. "And then having to find out that her brother has been keeping his own powers a secret…"

"Yeah. Not that I can really blame Michiru for that. And now that he has to take care of Kaname, and train her how to use her powers…" Kagome went on, ready to move to the critical juncture in her plan. "He's sure got his hands full with all that going on. I guess it'll be a while before he can back to that thing he's been working on…"

The confused look that darkened Miroku's features was the first hint that Kagome had scored a direct hit. "That…_thing _he's working on?" the monk repeated blankly, his eyes narrowing with perplexity. "Wh-what thing? What are you talking about?"

Feigning astonishment, Kagome let her mouth pop open as she sat up straighter. "Wha…wait, didn't I tell you already?"

"Uh…tell me what?" Miroku asked, his confusion taking on a distinct hint of suspicion.

Bringing her hand to her forehead, Kagome gasped as if in shock at her own stupidity. "I don't believe this. You mean I really _didn't _tell you?" she asked, making sound like she was hoping he was just joking. "I don't believe this. How could I have forgotten something like that?"

"Forgotten _what?"_ Miroku asked, his cool exterior breaking down a bit more.

Taking a moment to shake her head and let the suspense build up just a little more, Kagome then employed the other important thing she had learned about guys like Miroku; namely, that jealously made an excellent motivator. "Well, you see, Wyvern came up with a theory about how the Well works. He also gave Michiru a whole bunch of books about magic and ancient legends, figuring that they might help him master his powers," she explained, making certain that Miroku was hanging on every word. "So anyway, when he came to visit us – you know, before that mess with his sister? – he said that he was working on something that will let him use the Well."

To anyone who didn't know Miroku, he would probably have seemed unfazed by this. But Kagome knew the monk, had traveled with him long enough to see the way his eyes widened just a bit, to detect a sharp gasp that he didn't quite stifle. And then there was the way he looked at her and said, "Really. You…don't say."

It was all Kagome could do not to grin at this. The way Miroku had said that last sentence was proof positive that she had scored a direct hit. "Yeah. I still can't believe I forgot to say any of this before," she spoke disbelievingly. "It must've slipped my mind. You know, with everything that happened that night?"

"That's…understandable," Miroku muttered slowly, concern beginning to darken his features. "So…are you saying that he has…already found a way to use the Well?"

"Uh, not just yet," Kagome replied, knowing that this was a critical point. To make it clear to Miroku that, while it would be some time before his only potential rival for Sango's affections could possibly return, it would still be in his best interests to make his move on the Demon Slayer, and soon. "He wasn't sure if this thing he was working on would work. And now that he has to train Kaname, it's probably going to be a while before he has a chance to test it out."

The concern in Miroku's eyes abated somewhat at this, but not by much. And as Kagome sat there, studying him, she could practically see him thinking of all the time Michiru and Sango had spent together, the friendship that had blossomed between them, as well as the message the Shikigami User had sent to Sango, and the way she had reacted to it. And as these memories danced in the monk's mind, they planted nice, healthy spark of jealousy in his mind. Which was exactly what Kagome wanted.

Delighting in her apparent success, Kagome returned her attention to her food. "Anyway, I sure hope whatever Michiru's got in mind works," she declared as she ate, working to fan those sparks of flame into a nice fire to help keep Miroku motivated. "It'd sure be nice to have him back. And I know the others will be happy to see him again."

"Hmm?" Startled from his inner thoughts, Miroku looked blankly at Kagome before he started tracking again. "Oh, yes. Of…of course," he said, his voice as flat and fake as Kagome had ever heard it. "Yes, I'm sure that…all of us would be glad to…have him back." Then, with a few seconds of effort, the monk smiled in his usual, charming fashion, and said, "Still…perhaps it might be best if you…didn't mention this to the others, Kagome. And we should probably tell InuYasha not to say anything about it, either."

Though she already had a pretty good idea why Miroku was making this suggestion, Kagome still feigned surprise as she asked, "Huh? Why's that?"

"Because, as you just said, Michiru only has a _theory_ about to use the Well. He hasn't been able to test it," Miroku told her, invoking his voice of sage wisdom. "And while I appreciate the fact that…the others would be eager to welcome him back, I think it would be best to wait and see whether or not this…project of his actually works before we tell them about it." He heaved a deep breath, and then looked at her with greater intensity. "While it may be a monk's duty to preach hope, I've often found it better not to go around, raising false hope. Do you…understand what I'm saying?"

Nodding, Kagome replied, "Okay. We'll keep it a secret for now." While Miroku was expressing his gratitude, she was grinning with triumph on the inside. _Yes! That got him!_ _With any luck, he'll be wooing Sango in no time!_ Marveling at the ease of it, she then forced herself to settle down. There was still some distance to go before that perfect wedding she had imagined could finally take place, and Miroku would doubtlessly need a little help in getting to that point. Especially if Michiru showed up sooner, rather than later. _Still, it shouldn't be too tough,_ she decided, giving the matter some thought. A little toning down of the lechery, some serious wining and dining of Sango, and the two of them would be on track for their happy future together. _Now, if only I could straighten out InuYasha this easily…!_

* * *

"Aw, damn! That was good!" InuYasha grinned as he and the rest of the group made their way back to the inn. A good meal in his stomach, the half-demon was calm and carefree as he led the way.

"Boy, I'll say!" Shippo chimed in as he staggered somewhat, his hands massaging a belly that had swollen a good deal in the past hour. "I don't think I've eaten this much in forever…urp!"

"Well, I wouldn't make a habit out of it, you two," Kagome lectured them good-naturedly. "Heck, I'm amazed you can even move after packing it all away like that!"

"Boy, I'll say!" Kohaku agreed, looking in amazement. "Where did you put it all, anyway?"

Snorting loudly, InuYasha folded his arms behind his head and looked up at the night sky. "What can I tell ya, kid? A big battle works up a big appetite!"

"That's true, I suppose," Sango chuckled mildly. She looked like she was considering say something else as well, but eventually decided against it. "Anyway, we better get a good night's sleep if we're going to be in any shape to travel tomorrow."

"Yeah, I guess so," Shippo reluctantly agreed. "Say, Kagome…how many Sacred Jewel Shards do you think are still out there?"

"It's hard to say, Shippo," Kagome replied with a hint of reluctance. "The compass might be able to point them out, but I haven't tried using it to count out how many Shards out there."

"Eh, who cares how many there are?" InuYasha wondered. "We just gotta keep looking until we've got 'em all! It's as simple as that!"

Miroku didn't pay any attention to what Kagome said to that. The fact was, he really hadn't been paying much attention to the conversation even when it was being held at the restaurant. Nor had he really tasted the meal he had had there, or been able to relax, even in such warm environs. Because no matter how much he had wanted to simply relax and enjoy himself, over and over again, he had found himself thinking back to his conversation with Kagome.

_Michiru's working on a way to return to this world,_ Miroku found himself thinking again. This thought had followed him throughout the day, ever since his conversation with Kagome, and had continued to sting at him, over and over again. The idea that Michiru was somewhere in his own world, working on a way to return to this one, set him on edge. Because, while he had no doubt that he wanted to reunite with his friends in this world, there was also no doubt that there was one person that the Shikigami User wanted to see more than anyone.

Miroku had no personal grudge against Michiru. As a monk in service to Buddha, something so petty was far beneath him. And in truth, he certainly couldn't blame him for holding Sango in such regard, for she truly was an exceptional woman, both in body and in spirit. _Especially in body,_ he couldn't help but think, his hands knowing the welcome sensation of the Demon Slayer's shapely buttocks quite well, and wanting to become even more familiar with them. _But Michiru…he doesn't know her as I do. He hasn't been through what I've been through her. And he…there's no way he could…_

As his chain of thought reached a weak link and broke apart, Miroku found himself frowning deeply. Michiru had spent a great deal of time with Sango whenever he had the chance, and he had seen the despair that had written itself so clearly on her face when he had disappeared from their world. And as much as the monk wanted to deny it, the idea that someone could so easily walk into her heart and take up so much room in it was a vexing one that no amount of meditation could seem to purge from his heart.

_All I want is to be happy. To be with the woman I love, to have a family, _Miroku thought solemnly. _Why can't Michiru remain where he is, in his time? Find a woman better suited to him and his way of life?_

Sighing as these thoughts weighed heavily on his heart, Miroku was startled from his own inner world by a cry of surprise. "Kagome?" he heard Sango gasp. "Kagome, what is it?"

"I…I don't know!" Kagome got out. Turning to face her, Miroku's eyes went wide when he saw the look of astonished concern she wore, and more importantly, what was causing it. The compass that still hung about her neck was glowing with a strange, golden light as it rose up from her chest, the pointer madly spinning about. "The compass…it's going crazy!"

"Wait. You mean you aren't making it do this?" InuYasha gaped.

"No, of _course _I'm not!" Kagome protested, her voice a mix of fear and annoyance. Before she could say anything else, the compass flashed brilliantly, its pointer stopped spinning and sent out a brilliant beam of light.

Taking a step or two back, Kohaku stared in astonishment at the compass's beam. "What's going on? What is it doing?"

"I…I'm not sure! It's never done _this _before!" Kagome admitted fearfully.

"Maybe…but one thing's for certain. The compass is definitely pointing towards something," Miroku mused, considering the actions of the divine artifact. "And the way it lit up…it's almost like its…warning us of something."

"Warning us?" Shippo repeated, his little face turning a shade or two paler at this. "W-warning us about what?"

"I…I don't know…" Kagome admitted, her expression hardening as she looked along the compass's beam. "But I'm gonna find out!" Without another word, she started off in the direction marked by the mysterious artifact. After several steps, she looked back over her should and glowered at her friends. "Well? Are you all coming, or am I gonna have to do this alone?"

"Are you kidding me? Hold up, Kagome!" InuYasha countered before darting off after her. One by one, the rest of them looked at each other before following.

"I don't like this!" Sango gritted as she ran, taking hold of her ever-present Hiraikotsu. "If the compass is warning us about something, what could it be?"

"Yeah, it doesn't make any sense!" Kohaku chimed in. "We've gone after plenty of demons before, and it's never acted like this before! So why now?"

These were all valid questions, Miroku knew. But rather than consider the various possibilities, he retorted, "We can discuss this later. Right now, I think its best that we focus on the situation at hand!"

"Right," Sango gritted tersely, picking up speed.

Growling his frustration, InuYasha shouted, "Hey, Kagome! Any idea how much further until we find this whatever-the-hell-it-is?"

"I'm not sure! But we're definitely getting closer!" Kagome reported, cradling the compass in her hands. "And…!"

"And what?" InuYasha demanded crossly.

Turning towards the half-demon, Kagome looked at him with a face filled with concern. "I don't know what it is we're dealing with…but it feels powerful. And dangerous!"

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" InuYasha muttered, taking hold of the Tetsusaiga's hilt. All around him, Miroku could feel the others tensing for battle, even as his own heart thundered in his ears. All of them ready for just about everything.

Everything…but what happened next.

The path they were running down was overgrown with trees and bushes at several points, and it twisted and turned, rose and fell, seemingly at random. So it was virtually impossible for them to see very far ahead, and the compass's beam frequently pointed through the unruly growths and occasional boulder. Leaving them helpless to do anything but to keep along the path and mind the wandering beam as it bounced and twisted about, doing their best to keep going in the general direction indicated. All the while wondering what kind of atrocity could have set off the compass in this way.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Kagome called out, "We're almost there! I think it's around this next bend!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" InuYasha demanded, drawing the Tetsusaiga. In a flash, the heirloom blade transformed into a massive fang, and the aggressive half-demon shot around the upcoming bend, and immediately disappeared. Leaving them all expecting to hear the sounds of battle, or of a Wind Scar being unleashed.

What they didn't expect to hear was InuYasha crying out, _"Wh-what the hell?"_

Gritting his teeth as the undeniable shock in InuYasha's voice registered, Miroku cried out, "This doesn't sound good! Everybody, be ready!" And this was all he had time to say as he and the others rounded the bend…and their own minds emptied with shock.

InuYasha was there, Tetsusaiga still in his hand, but the demonic blade hung limply, as he had forgotten he even had it. The compass's beam still pointed ahead, the beam finally able to point directly at its target. A target that should not have been there. A target that was supposed to be dead and gone.

Standing before them, apparently oblivious of the divine light pointing directly at her chest, was a small, pale girl. She was dressed in a white kimono, and had white hair that was decorated with white, flowery hairpins. She looked at them with pale blue eyes, eyes that held nothing but emptiness, and cradled a silver-framed mirror in her hands.

His mouth hanging open, Miroku could only stand there, staring dumbstruck at the tiny girl. His rational mind screaming silently, telling him that this was impossible. The others reacted the same way, staring at the tiny figure in absolute horror. With only one of them able to give voice to this impossibility. _"Aaaauggh!"_ Shippo cried out in shock, falling over on his back. _"It's Kanna!"_

The fox-demon's cry snapping them out of their stupor, Sango gaped at the tiny figure before them. "But…how's this possible? We…I saw her die! Back at Botan Village! We _all _saw her!"

Sango's cry of astonishment was answered by a low, ugly chuckle. A mocking sound that drew their eyes, and caused the Demon Slayer to quail as she looked at her own brother, his face twisted with malice. "And tell me, woman of Demon Slayer," Kohaku asked her, his voice and mannerisms no longer that of the shy little boy they had come to know. "How often is it that you can trust your eyes…against me?"

There was a long, horrible moment of silence as the group looked at the young boy. "Naraku," Miroku hissed, aware of the way the others reacted to this word, to Kohaku's transformation. The hateful growl InuYasha issued, Kagome bringing her hands to her mouth, the despair that oozed forth and encompassed Sango's entire body, and the way Shippo now shivered with fear. All of the pain that the vile monstrosity had caused returning to them in an instant. "So, again, you've faked your own death."

"Of course. Did you really believe that I could ever fall at the hands of a sorry group such as yourselves?" Naraku asked, his evil corrupting Kohaku's voice into a perverse mirror image of his own. "You may have cost me Utsugi's power…but _never _my life." The coward of a demon then glanced at the compass, still pointing towards the incarnation of void. "I must admit to being surprised, however. I never would have expected your little toy there to be capable of detecting Kanna's presence."

_Neither would I,_ Miroku admitted silently, his logical mind already piecing together Naraku's scheme. "What's your game this time, Naraku? Were you planning on using Kanna to turn the villagers here against us, as before?"

"Of course. Why waste my own forces when I can watch you try and defend yourselves from those worthless creatures without harming them?" Naraku chuckled again before glowering at Kagome. "And if it weren't for your precious compass, all the Sacred Jewel Shards you worked hard to gather would now be mine. How disappointing."

"Enough of this!" InuYasha snarled, marching up to Kohaku and grabbing him by the neck. "Where are you, dammit?"

"InuYasha!" Kagome cried out.

"I'm sick of these games of yours, Naraku! Always hiding in the shadows, using everyone as your puppets!" InuYasha growled, his eyes deadly slits that bored into the contemptuous face before him. "Come out, you bastard! Come out and _face me!"_

Kohaku's face twisted into a malicious grin. "As you wish, you fool."

Without warning, a hideous pain stabbed deep into Miroku's right hand, causing him to cry and grab it desperately. His forearm shuddering and convulsing of its own accord, he forced himself to look at his right palm, knowing exactly what he would see. A black, all-consuming abyss, once again carving itself into the palm of his hand.

* * *

_No…_ Sango moaned inwardly, tears welling up from her eyes as her knees wobbled, on the verge of collapsing beneath her. _No, no, no, noooo! Not _again_! Please, not _this _again!_

Misery and despair welling up from the depths of her soul and pouring forth throughout her very being, Sango shook her head at the sight of her brother's face twisted with Naraku's evil, at the pain and horror reflected in the faces of her friends. All of these things seemed to blend together into an overwhelming quagmire that surrounded her on all sides, threatening to swallow her whole. A quagmire that sent forth a cry of pain that she knew painfully well, a cry that drew her gaze to Miroku, who was staring in horror at his hand.

_No…!_ Sango cried inwardly as she caught a glimpse at the cursed Wind Tunnel that was splitting Miroku's palm open, already crying out in hunger for anything it could draw into its depths. _No…I don't believe this!_ In that instant, all of the hideous battles the Demon Slayer and her friends had fought against the abomination that was the bane of everything that lived flashed through her mind. All of the trials and desperate battles, the quests for greater power that would enable them to triumph, and all the frustrations and setbacks suffered as Naraku time and again fled from them, disappearing before they could deliver the final blow. And worst of all, the victory they had fought so hard to win and sacrificed so much to achieve, the dream they had been living for almost a month was over. Destroyed in an instant, rendered naught but another one of Naraku's tricks. _Why does he keep coming back? Why can't he just die and leave us all alone?_

But even as misery and hatred welled up and spilled down Sango's cheeks, she remained a Demon Slayer. The long years of training she had endured and thrived through didn't abandon her; instead, they kept her sane. They kept the pain and hatred from getting the upper hand against her, they kept her from spiraling down into the depths of agony and despair. And they kept her alert and ready, so that when another sound reached her ears, she acted immediately and turned to look for the source.

A short distance away, Kanna had fallen to her knees. Dull groans of pain escaped the tiny incarnation's lips as her body shuddered and convulsed, both of which quickly grew in intensity. Then, her eyes widening in disgust, Sango watched as something swelled up on Kanna's back, straining the back of her kimono.

Baring her teeth in a hateful snarl, Sango yanked her Hiraikotsu off her back. _So that's how you did it, _she hissed inwardly. _Well, not _this _time!_ Knowing exactly what was about to happen, she took aim at the helpless incarnation, and launched the boomerang bone straight and true at her.

Just before the Hiraikotsu could strike home, a dome of energy appeared around Kanna. The massive weapon slammed right into it, and was easily deflected. And while the Hiraiktosu was tumbling to the ground, Kanna cried out in anguish as her kimono exploded, giving way to a putrid mass of flesh that swelled larger and larger, driving the incarnation of void down onto her chest. As the hideous growth continued to expand, it changed forms, taking on greater definition as it sprouted limbs, and then clothes.

Off to her side, InuYasha snarled as he released Kohaku. "Feh! So _that's _where you've been hiding!"

Laughing in his own voice even as his body finished reforming itself, Naraku detached from Kanna and came to hover before them. "Exactly," the malignant beast grinned, looking exactly as he had when they had faced him both on Asagiri Island and north of Kururugi Village; garbed in armored clothing, with tentacles sprouting from his back. "When I set out to take Utsugi's powers for myself, I knew I would have to get him to lower his guard. To think that it wasn't just I that had been defeated by you fools, but that all of my forces had been slain as well. That's why I allowed Kanna to battle you; to set the stage for her apparent death."

"And having done so, you placed a fragment of yourself inside of her," Miroku gritted. Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, Sango suffered a moment of relief when she that he had retrieved the sacred beads that had kept his Wind Tunnel bound for so long, and had hastily wrapped them about his forearm. "Just in case something went wrong with your plans for Utsugi."

"Of course. Unlike you, I always plan for every contingency," Naraku boasted cruelly as he hovered before them.

Snorting loudly, InuYasha stepped closer to their foul nemesis. "Is that so, huh?" he growled, the Tetsusaiga shining brightly as a brilliant red washed over its blade. "Well, let's see if you planned for this! _Wind Scar!"_ Leaping forward, the half-demon swung the Red Tetsusaiga with all his might, sending crimson bands of destruction rushing towards Naraku.

The hellish beast didn't even flinch as the Wind Scar reached him. Instead, he smiled and sneered contemptuously as the Red Tetsusaiga's power washed harmlessly over his barrier before tearing through the landscape behind him. "It's useless," he intoned, glorying in their helplessness. "I may no longer have Utsugi's crystallized barrier stones, but I've learned a great deal from him. More than you _possibly_ imagine."

"Maybe, but you made a grave mistake in showing your face like this, Naraku," Miroku intoned, stepping alongside InuYasha. Clutching the restraining beads again on his right wrist, ready to whip them aside. "Or did you not intend for my Wind Tunnel to return with you?"

"Of course I did. I wouldn't want to cheat myself of the pleasure of watching you be drawn into the void, just as your father and grandfather were before you," Naraku oozed malignantly. "However, I would say that you have more…immediate problems to deal with."

"And just what's _that _supposed to mean?" InuYasha demanded hatefully. Naraku didn't say anything to this; instead, he looked off in the distance, his hateful smile deepening.

It was then something in Sango cried out for her attention. A combination of intuition and base instinct that had been honed to a fine edge in her. Things that reacted when she felt the air shake with bloodlust. Unable to help herself, she turned in the direction Naraku was looking in, and frowned. "Something's coming!"

"Huh?" Shippo yelped as Sango reached into the folds of her kimono, and brought forth an artifact from Kagome's world. A device the time-traveling priestess had called binoculars. Setting them to her eyes, the Demon Slayer found her range of vision increase dramatically. Enough to be able to make out a familiar figure descending from the clouds.

"It's Kagura!" Sango gaped as she lowered the binoculars, her heart clenching as another foe apparently returned from the dead. "She's leading a horde of demons towards the village!"

"Hmmm, I see you have another intriguing artifact," Naraku oozed malignantly. "So, what will you do now? Make another futile attempt to defeat me…or will you protect the lives of those too weak and worthless to protect themselves."

"You monster…!" Kagome hissed.

"Don't be afraid. I have no intention of wasting any further time here," Naraku smugly declared. "I have more important things to do than to soil my hands battling the likes of you. But…if I'm to be denied your Shards of the Sacred Jewel…then I suppose I will take another prize instead."

As soon as Naraku said this, Sango knew what was about to happen. Her heart screaming in despair, she whirled about, hoping that one of the others had seen this coming. That someone, InuYasha, Miroku, Kagome, Shippo, any of them had realized what was about to happen. That they had not been so distracted by Naraku's speech and his oncoming forces to prevent it. Hopes that were dashed when she heard the sound of bare feet running through the grass, and saw her brother, his eyes glassy and his will once again usurped, dash through Naraku's barrier.

"_No! Kohaku!"_ Sango cried out, tears flying from her eyes as she reached desperately for her brother. Her heart shattering much as the Sacred Jewel had, breaking apart into hundred of tiny fragments and leaving her hollow and empty as Naraku smirked cruelly before rising up into the air. With Kanna and Kohaku at his side once again.

"_No! No no no no nooo!"_ Sango cried out again desperately, Naraku's mocking smile and Kohaku's souless expression drilling into her soul. Mocking her and powerlessness as they rose up and away from her, beyond her reach. _"Kohakuuuu!"_ Beyond reason, her sanity fragmenting, Sango tensed to give chase. To follow Naraku unto the ends of the earth, to follow him until there was not an ounce of strength to her. But before she could take so much as a single step, she felt someone's hand wrap about her wrist and twist her about. "No! _Let me go! Let me go!"_

"Sango, I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do!" Miroku told her, sympathy hanging from each word as he looked back to the imperiled village. "We have to go! If we don't head back now, the entire village will be wiped out.

But in that instant, Sango didn't care about the village. She didn't care about the lives at stake. She didn't care if her friends, all of them cursing and damning Naraku for everything they were worth, were already making their way back there. All she knew was that someone else she loved had been taken from her. That she had again been forced to watch as someone precious beyond belief had disappeared right before her very eyes. All while she had stood helpless to do nothing but watch.

"_No! Kohaku!"_ Sango screamed. She screamed and screamed again, until her voice had broken and collapsed beneath her own grief. All of her hopes rent asunder, her dream life gone…and consumed by a nightmare reborn.

* * *

Author's Notes: Sorry if Naraku's reappearance was less than overwhelming, but I had some trouble figuring out how exactly to bring him back without making a major scene of it. Especially given the number of times Naraku has disappeared, then reappeared to rub our heroes noses in the fact that he was still alive and kicking. Still, I hope you'll read and review, anyway. And maybe check out my other stories while you're at it?

Ilko Skevuld, I'm glad you're enjoying the Michiru/Sango pairing. Since I wrote this story, a couple more have shown up on this site.

Illusive Man, this story is indeed just beginning. There's plenty more excitement to come!


	9. Return to the Feudal Era

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Chapter 9: Return to the Feudal Era

"_Run for it, Kaname!"_ Michiru cried out as he pushed himself for all the speed he could muster. _"The whole place is coming down!"_

If Kaname made any response to this, it was drowned out by the sounds of concrete breaking and steel beams bending. Chunks of masonry were falling everywhere, raising clouds of dust that found their way into Michiru's eyes and mouth, choking them both. They were pelted by bits and pieces of debris as cracks formed and multiplied at a horrific rate, spreading across the walls, floors, and ceiling like wildfire.

As Michiru ran, his arms pumping and lungs burning desperately for enough air to keep going, his eyes were locked on their only possible avenue of escape. _"Come on, Kaname! We're almost there!"_ he cried out, culling forth whatever reserves were left to him as open air beckoned to them.

With safety only a couple of feet away, disaster chose that exact moment to strike. The floor beneath the twins cracked and heaved, knocking Kaname off-balance and sending her tumbling to the ground. Her cry of pain reaching him over the roar of the ongoing collapse, Michiru dug his heels into the ground and turned about, mindless of his own personal peril as he rushed up to his sister and hauled her back up to her feet. Not having the time to be gentle, he threw his arm around her shoulders and started running again.

_C'mon, hold together! Just for a few seconds longer!_ Michiru pleaded the abandoned structure that they had been using for their practice grounds. _Just a bit more!_ An ominous rumbling was the building's response to his silent entreaty, and he realized that they might even have seconds. Which was why, when the twins reached the barrier that would normally keep people from walking out into empty space, he didn't hesitate. He didn't stop to look and make sure that there would be a safe landing waiting for them. Instead, he bent down and grabbed Kaname by her legs before forcefully shoving her out into open air. A moment later, with the roar of collapsing rubble filling his ears, Michiru jumped as well.

As it happened, luck was with them that day. A convenient tree been standing right beneath them when they had made their leaps of faith. A tall, sturdy tree with wide, thick branches which caught them and held up beneath their combined weight, bending only slightly. And perhaps best of all, the thick, leafy boughs they found themselves in would keep them hidden from any prying eyes.

_But it won't save us if the whole building falls down on our heads!_ Michiru realized. Fear spurring his recovery, the Kururugi boy invoked the power of his Light Shikigami. "Oh, brightly shining light!" he began, a pentagram appearing beneath him. "Give me your healing power! Protective Light!" With that, a dragon of light appeared and rose up above them before turning into a dome that enveloped the entire tree.

A moment later, Michiru realized that his spell had been just in the nick of time. For no sooner was the barrier of light in place that the parking garage he and Kaname had been using surrendered to the inevitable. With a huge roar, five layers of steel and concrete utterly collapsed, clouds of dust and debris billowing out from the destruction and enveloping them.

"Ugh!" Kaname coughed as the dust filled her nose and mouth. "Aw, man! Bro, that was _way _too close!"

"Yeah. Tell me – about it!" Michiru got out around a spat of further coughing. "I knew this – place was – condemned, but – I didn't think it – would give out – _that _easily!"

Nodding shakily, her eyes watering heavily, Kaname replied "Same here! I –!" She was cut off when another round of coughing forced its way out of her mouth. "Guh, I can't – breath in this!" she declared, waving away some of the putrid air, only for even more putrid air to take its place. Grunting in disgust, she shook her head before furrowing her brows in concentration. "Oh, overflowing – blue sky, fill this land – with your cleaning winds! Blue Sky – Purification!" With this, Kaname summoned her Wind Shikigami, which flew overhead before exploding into a swirling mass of wind. Within seconds, the offending dirt and detritus was swept away, leaving the air clean and breathable once more.

Heaving several deep breaths of the newly cleansed air, Michiru turned and smiled at Kaname. "Nice one, sis," he smiled as he started rubbing some of the dust from his tear-filled eyes. "You've gotten…pretty good at this…"

Nodding to this, Kaname answered by saying, "Yeah…I know." She gave one last cough as she turned and looked at their former training grounds. "I just wish I didn't have to prove it by taking out an entire parking garage!"

Wincing at this point, Michiru shrugged helplessly. "Hey, it's not your fault. You couldn't have known that your Chaotic Flame would take out those support beams." Shuddering at the memory of this, at the realization that the only things keeping the dilapidated parking structure had been reduced to pools of molten slag, he decided to try and make light of it. "Besides, you should have seen what I did to the store I'd been using for training."

"Actually, I think I _did _see it," Kaname returned with a wry smirk. When Michiru frowned his confusion, his sibling added, "It wouldn't happen to have been that place they showed on the evening news about a month ago, was it? The place that blew up for no reason, and there was nothing left but a crater that was _twenty feet_ _deep?_"

Taken aback by this revelation, Michiru sighed heavily. "Uh…yeah. That's the one," he admitted, feeling his cheeks burning. Something that was intensified when Kaname started laughing. Chafing at this bit of humiliation, raised himself off the branch he'd landed on, and carefully placed his foot down on the one below. "C'mon. We better get out of here. The last thing we need is to still be here when whoever was supposed to be demolishing this place shows up to find out what happened!"

Her fun cut short, Kaname immediately sobered up. "Good point," she admitted, wincing somewhat as she started moving. "At least we don't have to worry about the police showing up!"

"Exactly. Nobody really bothers when this kind of thing happens in the Nerima Ward," Michiru grinned, indulging in a moment of smug satisfaction. "Why do you think I wanted to find someplace around here for training? Half the stuff that goes on here is so crazy that the tabloids are nothing in comparison!"

"Can't argue with you there." There was no further conversation as the twins focused on climbing down the tree. It was a long and unpleasant climb, made even worse by the bumps and scrapes they had picked up during their frantic escape from the doomed parking garage. It felt like hours had passed instead of minutes when their feet finally touched the ground, and when the twins looked at each other, they couldn't help but groan in dismay. "Ugh, look at us!" Kaname groaned in dismay, looking down at herself. Every inch of her body was coated in filth and grime, and Michiru was certain that he was in a similar state. "If Mom and Dad catch us looking like this, we'll be grounded for life!"

"I don't doubt it," Michiru grimaced as he looked at his own arms, which were now the same grey as the concrete from the building. "We better find a fountain or something to wash up in before we head home!"

"Right," Kaname nodded, and with that, the two of them darted away from the collapsed building, bypassing the surrounding fence as they started in the general direction of home. It took some time, with the both of them doing their best to avoid attracting any attention, but fortunately, they eventually found a gas station, and made use of the restrooms there in order to clean off the worst of the grime.

As Michiru finished washing off his face and arms, he looked hard at the mirror and evaluated his appearance. Nothing short of a trip to the wash was going to eliminate the streaks of dirt and grime that clung to his clothes, and there was doubt that he was in need of a nice, long soak in the tub, as well as some healing magic for the bruises that were already coloring his skin, but at least he didn't look like he had been at ground zero of the utter destruction of a building. Satisfied that he was clean enough to be tolerable by most people, at least enough to avoid the worst of the stares, he exited the men's restroom. A short time later, Kaname emerged as well, looking about the same as he did.

Looking over his sibling, whose hair was sopping wet from her attempts to scrub it down, Michiru sighed. "Well…at least we don't look like the Dirt twins anymore."

"No. Just the Kinda Gross twins," Kaname chimed in impishly. "C'mon, bro. Assuming our parents don't kill us, the first thing I'm doing when we get home is taking a bath! A really _long _one!"

"Just be sure to save some soap and water for me, sis," Michiru sighed as he led the way out of the gas station and back out onto the road. "Because you're not the only one who needs it!"

As the wearied twins made their way home, birds singing and flying about the only real sounds they heard that quiet afternoon, Kaname frowned as she studied her brother. "So…what do we now, bro?" she asked nervously. "Should we start looking for a new place to train and start again?"

Furrowing his brows, Michiru considered this idea before rejecting it. "No," he answered, shaking his head in negation. "I had enough trouble finding that last place. And besides, with the way your powers are developing…your attacks spells are getting too dangerous, Kaname. I don't see how we could find someplace that's abandoned, and yet sturdy enough to hold up for any real length of time."

"Then…what do we do?" Kaname wondered, frowning unhappily as she studied her brother. "We…we _are _gonna keep training, right?

"Yes, of course we are," Michiru assured her. "But…I don't think we can keep doing it here." An alternative quickly took shape in his mind, one that chased away all his fears and concerns. "Remember how I told you that I'd been working on a way to use the Bone-Eater's Well?" Kaname quickly nodded, something that made her brother's smile deepen. "Well, I think it's time we found out if Wyvern's theories about the Tree of Ages were right."

It took a moment or so for Kaname to realize what her brother was saying. And when she did, her face lit up with a combination of surprise, delight…and even a bit of fear. "You mean…you want to train back in the _Feudal Era…?_"

"Why not? It'd be perfect!" Michiru beamed, the simple thought of returning there brightening his mood. "Half the trouble we get into here is because we have to keep out of sight while we're training. And let's face it; attack spells aren't exactly indoors-friendly." This succeeded in getting a chuckle out of Kaname, bolstering his mood even more. "And besides, I'm sure the others would be happy to meet you."

Kaname's expression became thoughtful at this. "Well…I have to admit, I've been wanting to meet them as well. I mean, after watching the video and listening to all of your stories, I…I feel like I kinda know them already." But then her lips pressed tightly together as she asked, "But…what about all those demons you told me about? Do you…do you really think it'd be safe to go there now?"

Michiru recognized the legitimacy of his sister's concern, and looked at her reassuringly. "Don't worry about it. With InuYasha, Sango, and everyone else around, we won't have anything to worry about," he told her, speaking as confidently as he knew how. "Besides, most of the demons near Kaede's Village are really weak. And you're already more than strong enough to be able to handle them."

"Really?" Kaname replied, clearly surprised by this.

Nodding, Michiru then chuckled warmly and added, "Considering the fact that you just took out a _parking garage,_ I don't think you have anything to worry about." He punctuated this statement with additional laughter, and was gratified when Kaname joined in.

"Okay. I guess you got a point there," Kaname decided. "So…what do we do? Do we wait for your friends to come back here, or…?"

"No. I think it'd be best if we went to Kagome's place and see if what I've got in mind will work," Michiru decided. "That way, even if InuYasha and the others haven't come back yet, I can at least see if we'll be able to use the Well, and maybe check in with Kaede, see what's been happening. And…if it doesn't work…" His heart sinking at the mere mention of the possibility of failure, he held his hands up helplessly. "Well…at least we won't lose any real time, and I can…go back and try something else."

Her brows furrowed, Kaname considered this for while before nodding. "Okay. I guess that makes sense," she decided. Then she flashed an impish grin before adding, "Besides, I know that you simply can't wait to see _Sango _again!"

The instant he processed this remark, Michiru's mind was thrown into utter chaos. His jaw clattered to the floor as his eyes bulged, an expression of dumbstruck astonishment that had Kaname laughing even harder. "I – uh – wha – ga -!" After these and several other botched attempts of coherent speech tumbled limply off his tongue, he gave a fierce shake of his head before shouting, "Kaname! How – how'd you know about -?"

"About the fact that you're totally in love with _Sangooo_?" Kaname asked, drawing out the Demon Slayer's name in as teasing a fashion as possible. "C'mon, bro! I've seen you sigh when you look at her in that recording! And of course, there's your habit of blushing whenever mention her name. You know, kinda like what you're doing now?" At this, Michiru realized that his sister was quite correct. In fact, judging by the way his cheeks were burning, he would not have been surprised if steam started rising up from his head. And Kaname, seeing that her teases had hit their mark, grinned and went for the kill. "Besides, remember last week? When I asked you to borrow your notes for a homework assignment? Well, when I was looking through your notebook, I happened upon some of your masterpieces!"

His face falling in utter humiliation, Michiru brought his hand to forehead as he realized what had happened. It hadn't been something he had planned, but during the months since his return from the Feudal Era, when the tedium got the better of him and he let his thoughts drift, he wound up doing simple sketches of his friends from that world. Images of InuYasha, Kagome, Miroku, Shippo, as well as Kikyo and Kaede, and even Kagura, Kanna, and Naraku himself littered the pages of his notebook. But more than anything else, the person he'd sketched was Sango. Sango in battle, Sango riding Kirara, Sango with Kohaku, Sango sitting amongst some flowers were just some of the images he had sketched out. "Ugh…I totally forgot about that!"

"I guess you did, bro," Kaname agreed, her grin practically splitting her face in half. "The same way you forgot about that one pic that had a heart beneath her. You know, the one that read 'Michiru + Sango, 2-Gether 4-Ever'?"

If it had been possible for a person to die of sheer embarrassment, then Michiru would have keeled over that very instant. His entire body was turning red, his heart was pounding in his ears, and his mind was so overloaded that he couldn't do anything but stand there like an idiot.

About half a minute later, Michiru's brain had still failed to reboot, and his blood was still boiling the rest of him alive. And while his conscious mind was presently overwhelmed, his physical senses were still active. Enough that he could see the look of amusement worn by his sister fading away, and being replaced by a much more contrite expression. "Uh…sorry, Michiru," she began, all teasing gone from her voice. "I only…I was just kidding you…that's all. I didn't mean to…"

Wincing at the guilt that was growing in his sister's eyes, Michiru returned to his senses. "No, it's…it's okay, Kaname," he replied, waving her concerns aside. "It's just…well…I guess there's no point in trying to hide it. Is there?"

Kaname opened her mouth, but then closed it as she cocked her head to the side. "Wow," she murmured sympathetically. "I guess you've really got it bad. I mean, I _knew _you had it bad, but…"

"Yeah," Michiru admitted as his sister trailed off. The emotions that the Demon Slayer stirred in him far closer to the surface than he was capable of admitting. Heaving a deep breath, he did his best to return his focus to the here and now. "So…you up for a trip to the Higurashi Shrine?"

Shooting her brother a rueful look, Kaname heaved a weary sigh before saying, "I am if you are." A smile of relief spread across Michiru's face at this, something his sister responded to by asking, "So…when do you want to go?"

"Tomorrow. Some time after noon, if possible," Michiru told her. Then a wry thought occurred to him, one he expressed by muttering, "That is, assuming we don't get grounded as soon as get home…"

Kaname gave a low chuckle at this. "Good point, bro," she admitted. "Then…assuming we don't get busted as soon as we walk in the door…we better get ready for tomorrow."

"Right," Michiru confirmed with a decisive nod. "I'll get everything I'll need together, and then I finish up the rest of the equipment I've been working for you. You know…just in case."

An affirmative sound echoing in her throat, Kaname replied, "Alright. Then…I guess…tomorrow it is." A muted snort of laughter escaped her lips as she stepped closer to Michiru. "Wow…it's kind of crazy. That…tomorrow…I might be in a whole different world." Shaking her head in amazement, the Kururugi girl smiled nervously and asked, "I mean…I dunno, maybe it's just nerves, but…just thinking about it…it's giving me goosebumps! !..."

"Don't worry, sis, I understand," Michiru assured her. "I don't know if I've told you this, but I was pretty freaked out when I landed there as well."

"Really?" Kaname replied, astonishment flickering in her eyes. Almost a moment later, however, this subsided, and was replaced by a more familiar, impish gleam. "Say, now that you mention it…why don't you tell about that? Just how freaked out were you when you landed back in time?"

"What, and give you even more ammunition to use on me?" Michiru snorted derisively. "As if!" Delighting in the stunned look that sent his sister's jaw falling to the ground, the Kururugi boy darted forward. "Well, c'mon, Kaname!" he called out over his shoulder. "First one home gets first crack at the bath!"

"_What?"_ Kaname squawked indignantly. This lasted for just a moment, however, at which she shot after her twin. "No fair, bro! You've got a head start!" Michiru responded to this by laughing, a long, joyful sound that lifted his spirits…and that Kaname took as a challenge. "Why, you…!" she gritted, pushing herself even faster. "Get back here, bro! I'm gonna get you!"

"Sorry, sis! Not happening!" Michiru retorted as the two of them ran along the streets of Japan, a lone bird flying overhead as they ran all the way home…

* * *

Fortunately enough for the Kururugi twins, they were able to slip into their home without attracting the attention of their parents. And after both of them had bathed and changed their clothes, they began preparing for their journey. And so, the next day, after another bath and a hearty lunch, they made ready to journey to the Higurashi Shrine.

"Now, you two please be careful, alright?" Mrs. Kururugi told them as they stood just outside the house. "If there's any trouble, _please,_ call us and let us know, alright?"

"We will, Mom," Michiru assured her, shifting the duffel bag that was slung on his shoulder as Kaname quickly seconded his sentiment.

As for Mr. Kururugi, his expression was one of stern concern as he studied his two children. "Now remember, I want you both back here in time for dinner," he informed them, invoking his voice of 'Do It, or Else!'. "And if for some reason, you can't get back in time, you're to find someplace safe, and then call me and let me know where you are so I can pick you both up." His expression then softened somewhat, and he shook his head at the twins. "And whatever you do, _please_ don't give us another scare like the last time you went out." Glancing over at his wife, he smiled and added, "Despite what some people might have you think, but scaring the hell out of your parents is _not _a good idea!"

"I know. And don't worry," Michiru smiled confidently. "We'll let you know if it looks like we'll be late."

"That's all I ask," Mr. Kururugi confirmed. "Now, you better get going! The longer you two wait, the less time you'll have to spend with your friends!"

Smiling at this rare bit of humor from their father, Kaname waved playfully at her parents. "Okay, Dad! See you later!" With that, the twins started away, waving their goodbyes as their parents returned this gesture, and started down towards the street and made their way to the bus stop. Before long, the two of them were riding the bus that would soon take them to the Higurashi Shrine.

As Michiru stood there, gripping the support ring over his head and holding the strap of his duffel bag to make sure that it didn't slide off his shoulder, he couldn't help but wish that the bus would move faster, or that he had developed some kind of Shikigami spell that would allow him to teleport like Utsugi had been able to, or at least get to the Shrine faster than the bus could carry him. For then he wouldn't have so much time to think on the way there.

Despite the conversations and noises on the bus, despite the jouncing as they hit a pothole or took a turn too roughly, Michiru couldn't help but worry. No matter how hard he had worked on his plan to bend the Bone-Eater's Well to his will, there was still a great deal that could go wrong. He might not be strong enough to make the magic work, or the Tree of Ages could reject him for some reason. Then there was the fact that his plans were based entirely on a theory, and while Wyvern had made it sound quite convincing, it was still only a theory. And even then, even if everything went according to plan, there was a very strong chance that his friends wouldn't even be in Kaede's Village, that he would still be forced to wait for them to come back of their own accord.

_And…even if they _are_ there…_ Michiru frowned, thinking back to before. To the simple messages that InuYasha had given him on the day Kaname's powers had awakened. _Sango…she sounded so distracted when she told me about Kohaku and herself. Like…she wasn't really there._ Looking up and seeing his reflection in the window, he studied the person that looked back at him. A person that looked much like the scrawny, weak boy that he had been when he'd first fallen into the past. _Is it…is it because of that thing I told her? That I dreamt of her after I came back? Does she think I'm crazy, or…?_

His train of thought breaking up, Michiru was slowly inundated by all the little fears and what-ifs his mind conjured up. With everything from his plans failing utterly to being completely rejected by everyone he had held dear in the Feudal. Things that were completely impossible, and yet somehow plagued him, anyway. Things that swirled about him, pestering him, so much so that he didn't even notice the bus driver announcing that their next stop was the Higurashi Shrine. Instead, Kaname was forced to grab him by the shoulder, and call out, "Hey, bro!" Her voice accompanied by her nails digging painfully into his skin succeeded in jolting him back to awareness. "C'mon, wake up! This is our stop!"

"Huh?" Michiru muttered, his mind requiring a few moment to completely return to reality. When it did, he jolted up straighter, and gave his sibling a sheepish look. "Oh, right. Thanks." His cheeks burning, he felt Kaname looking at him as he pressed the signal buzzer. A few moments later, the bus drew to a stop and the two of them got off at the base of the stairs leading to Kagome's home.

"Whew! It's a much longer staircase than at our place!" Kaname noted as she looked up. "I bet the people here are in great shape!"

The corner of his lip quirking into a smile, Michiru turned and said, "If you think _that _looks tough, try walking for _days_ on end in the Feudal Era!" Chuckling at the strangled squawk this drew from his sister, the Kururugi boy started up the stairs. "Well, let's go, Kaname!"

"Ohh…!" Kaname gritted, but after a moment's fuming, she ran up after her brother. Despite her annoyance, the two of them soon reached the top of the stairs. As his sister looked about the unfamiliar setting of the Higurashi Shrine, Michiru made his way over to her house and knocked on the front door. And suffered as he was once forced to wait about half a minute that had somehow stretched into an eternity.

Fortunately, before his mounting impatience and concerns could get the best of Michiru, the door popped open, and Sota poked his head out at him. "Oh! Hi there, Michiru!"

"Hello, Sota," Michiru greeted. "Sorry to drop by unexpected, but…"

"No, it's okay," Sota quickly replied. He then turned and looked back into the house, and then beamed at Michiru. "Listen, would you like me to tell Kagome that you're here?"

"Kagome's here?" Michiru got out, his heart leaping in delight. "Then…does that mean that InuYasha and the -?"

"Uh, wait! Hold on!" Sota jolted, his face falling as he looked off to Michiru's side. Following the little boy's gaze, he saw Kaname standing a short distance behind him. "Um…who's that?"

Realizing that Sota had freaked out because Michiru had been about to blab their secrets in front of an apparent stranger, the Kururugi boy smiled and reassured the youngest Higurashi. "Don't worry, Sota. It's okay," he told him confidently before gesturing at his twin. "Allow me to introduce you to my sister. Kaname."

"Hello," Kaname smiled, giving a tiny wave to the boy.

"Your sister?" Bolting upright, Sota gaped and pointed at the female Kururugi twin. "Oh, wow! Your sister? You mean – _she's_ your sister? The one who has the same powers as you?"

"Well, considering she's my _only _sister, then, yeah, she's the one Kagome told you about," Michiru confirmed.

"Then…it's true? Kaname can use Shikigami like you? Really?" Sota exuberantly demanded.

"That's right," Michiru confirmed, shooting a glance at his sister. "Would you like a demonstration?"

"Really?" Sota grinned, practically exploding with delight as he drilled Kaname with his gaze. "Oh, wow! Would I ever!"

Blushing slightly as the two boys looked at her, Kaname smiled meekly. "Well…okay. Sure. Why not?" she finally decided, to which Sota let out a whoop of excitement. Tittering at the little boy's excitement, Kaname narrowed her eyes in concentration, and soon, a pentagram appeared at her feet. "Oh, overflowing blue sky, bind these evil demons! Binding Blue Sky!" Her Wind Shikigami then appeared and exploded into a series of green streamers that shot towards Sota and wrapped about his arms and legs, suspending him in mid-air.

"Whoa!" Sota cried out as he squirmed about in the grip of Kaname's spell. "Okay! Okay, you can stop now!"

Chuckling as Kaname dispelled her Binding Blue Sky, Michiru watched as Sota gently came back down on his feet. "So, anyway, Sota, Kagome and InuYasha gave me permission to tell Kaname about them, and about the Well and everything else," he explained softly. "So you don't have to worry about her. Okay?"

"Okay. I understand," Sota replied with a nod. "Sorry, Kaname. I just…wanted to be sure, that's all."

"It's okay," Kaname smiled. "You're just trying to look out for you sister and everything. I understand."

Satisfied that the two of them understood each other, Michiru returned his attention to the current situation. "So, anyway, Sota…you said that Kagome's here?" The little boy quickly nodded. "And…did she say if the others were in Kaede's Village?"

"Yeah, I think she did," Sota answered, his smile fading somewhat. "She just got back this morning, and…she was really out of it, Michiru. The first thing she did was head up to her room, and…I don't think she's been out since."

"Reall?" Michiru frowned, not liking the sound of this. "Is something wrong? Did something happen back in the Feudal Era?"

Shrugging helplessly, Sota shook his head. "I dunno. All I know is that she just came in this morning, said hello to Mom and Grandpa, and went back upstairs." The little boy sniffed loudly and then added, "Of course, that's what she usually does after she has _another_ fight with InuYasha!"

"Oh," Michiru got out before lowering his eyes and shaking his head. Recalling all the times that he had seen InuYasha and Kagome get into knock-down, full-out arguments with insults flying every which way, the Kururugi boy couldn't help but say, "That sounds about right."

"Yeah. It's so stupid," Sota agreed. "Well, anyway, do you want me to go get here?"

"Hmm…no, that's okay," Michiru decided after a moment's thought. "If she's in bad mood, then I don't want to disturb her. Besides…I didn't actually come to see her."

Sota's eyes went round with surprise at this. "You didn't?" he frowned in confusion. "Then…what _are_ you doing here?"

Michiru didn't answer right away, simply because he wasn't sure at first as to how to respond. "Remember…Mr. Wyvern's theory? You know, about the Tree of Ages?" he finally said, to which Sota nodded. "Well…I think we're about to see if he was right about it being the key to the Bone-Eater's Well."

"Huh?" Sota frowned. A few moments later, however, his face lit up with astonishment. "Wait a sec…are you saying that you've figured out how to use the Well?"

"That's what my bro says," Kaname replied, giving Michiru a look. "And…I guess we're about to see if he's right."

"Oh, wow!" Sota grinned, once again exuding excitement. Something that somehow fueled Michiru's nervousness.

"C'mon, Kaname. Let's go," Michiru told her as he started in the direction of the Tree of Ages.

"Hey! Can I come and watch…whatever it is you're about to do?" Sota wondered eagerly.

"Sure! Why not?" Kaname answered before Michiru had a chance to say anything. In an instant, Sota darted past them, and was soon standing right next to the fabled tree.

As the Kururugi twins came to stand before the ancient tree upon which InuYasha had once been imprisoned, Michiru looked up and breathed in awe of it. Now armed with the senses of his Wood Shikigami, he could see the mystical energies that surged through the Tree of Ages. Magical light that shone a brilliant blue, and coursed through every leaf, branch, and root. Light that separated it from the other nearby trees, a power that ran deeply through the tree.

_Wow. Kagome's grandfather was right. This tree…it's magic is incredible!_ Michiru found himself thinking, his heart leaping at this discovery. Growing more and more certain that what he had planned would indeed work, he knelt down and placed his duffel bag on the ground. _Alright…it's time for the moment of truth…_

A wave of fresh jitters trembling through his body, Michiru dug out the things he had prepared. First he placed a holster on his belt, a holster filled with Shikigami cards like the one he's used before. Cards that were receptive and channeled that power of the various Shikigami. And then he took out the sword he'd transmuted and slid it into his belt. Then he dug out another set of these items, as well as a belt to hold them, and gave them to his sister. "Here. Put these on, Kaname," he instructed her as he once dug through the bag and brought forth his Shikigami Disk.

"Hey, what's that?" Sota wondered, looking inquisitively at the strange artifact.

"It's my Shikigami Disk. I found it back in the Feudal Era, on Asagiri Island," Michiru explained as he looked at the artifact. It looked somewhat like a thick discus that was mounted on an oversized bracelet and was inscribed with a pentagram. It's magic amplified Michiru's Shikigami powers, and reduced the need for lengthy invocations. "I think Utsugi left it there, hoping that I would find it and use to bring down Naraku."

"Oh." Then Sota frowned somewhat, and looked at the female twin. "But…why didn't you give one to Kaname?"

"Because this is the only one I have," Michiru confessed with a hint of embarrassment. "I was never able to find a way to make another one."

"It's okay, bro. I'm sure you'll figure it out, so don't worry about it," Kaname told him easily. "So…shall we get going?"

"Huh? Oh, right, right." Returning his focus to where it belonged, Michiru drew forth a small blanket and set it before the Tree of Ages. And on this blanket, he a dozen pendants, forged through his own magic. This done, he looked up at the tree, and heaved a deep, heady breath. _This is it,_ he told himself, scared and excited beyond his ability to express. _Here goes…everything._ Rising to his feet, he brought forth one of his Shikigami cards, and placed it on the patch of bark that was the thinnest. The exact point where InuYasha had been bound, where Kikyo's arrow had buried itself deep into the wood. Kneeling back down, he clasped his hands together, a pentagram spinning into existence beneath him. "Oh, towering green wood, hear my words and answer my prayers," Michiru intoned, releasing the snake that was his Wood Shikigami. Channeling the Shikigami into the card, he then channeled its magic into the Tree of Ages, where it mingled with its own life and power. "Oh, Tree of Ages, I offer onto you these pendants, filled with the power of the towering green wood. Please, give them and those who shall bear them your blessings, and allow them to traverse the corridor of time which exists through your power!"

Several seconds passed as the Tree pulsated with mystical energy. Then the Shikigami card soon glowed with power different from Michiru's own, pulsating time and again, until finally erupting into a massive pentagram symbol. The pentagram radiated power upon the pendants, which started glowing with a new power.

Kaname and Sota cooed and gasped in amazement at pendants, which for a moment were shining as brightly as the stars in the sky. As for Michiru, tears of joy and relief were running down his face as the tree returned to normal, his card falling to the ground, completely spent. "Thank you!" Filled with new life and hope, Michiru gathered the pendants and jumped to his feet. "Here, Kaname! Put this on!" he said, handing her one of the pendants. "With these on, we'll be able to go through the well, just like InuYasha and Kagome!"

"Wow!" Sota gaped as Kaname placed one of the pendants about her neck. "Say, can I come with you?"

His joy turning to shock, Michiru jumped about to look at Sota "What?" he gaped, suddenly confused. It was one thing for him and his sister to go, but for a powerless little boy to join them? Scratching the back of his head, he muttered, "Uh…I dunno, Sota…"

"Please! Please! Please!" Sota pleaded, practically falling to his knees as he grabbed Michiru's side. "I've always wanted to see where InuYasha lives and everything! So, _please, _can I come along?"

While Michiru was trying to think of a gentle way of setting the boy down, Kaname beam and inquired, "Oh, c'mon, bro! Why not? It'll just be for a quick trip, right?" Still not thrilled with such an idea, he turned to his sibling, he gave him an impish look. "Besides, you're the one who said that the demons around the village are all wimps, right? We should be able to keep him out of trouble."

"Um…well…" Michiru hesitated. Glancing about at the people looking expectantly at him, he finally sighed and relented. "Okay, Sota. You can come along. But only if your mother says it okay with her, alright?"

"Yea!" Sota enthused before flying back towards the house so fast that he left a mammoth contrail in his wake.

* * *

To Michiru's muted dismay, Mrs. Higurashi readily agreed to allow Sota to join the twins on their trip to the past. After she made it clear that they were go directly to the Kaede's village and not off on some detour, she and Grandpa joined the three of them as they entered the Shrined that housed the Bone-Eater's Well.

"Here, take these," Michiru said, giving two of the pendants to the elder Higurashis. "That way, if for some reason you need to come get us, you can follow us through the Well."

"Thank you," Mrs. Higurashi smiled as she and Grandpa donned the charms. "As soon as you get back there, we'll tell Kagome about your pendants."

"Right," Michiru beamed gratefully. "And…thanks for not telling her right away. I…"

"It's alright. I understand. Still…I do think that you're worrying for nothing. Everything's going to be fine," Mrs. Higurashi told him. Then she turned towards her youngest child, and told him, "Now, Sota, be sure and come back before dinner, okay?"

"Okay! Bye, Mom! Bye, Grandpa!" Sota waved as Michiru guided them to the side of the Bone-Eater's Well. He took a moment to smile victoriously at the ancient well that had once scared him. Despite the lingering doubts he had, the fears and confusion, there was now a bright star of hope at his heart. He could now see the Well's magic with his Wood Shikigami. The same power that flowed through the Tree of Ages, as well as the pendants.

_I've got it now!_ Michiru told himself. _I _can _pass through the Well! I _know _I can!_

"Good luck to all of you!" Grandpa waved from above. "May the Sacred Tree watch over you and keep you safe."

"Thank you, Grandpa!" Michiru replied before straddling the ancient Well. "Come on, you two! It's time to go!" Watching as they hesitantly prepared themselves for the leap, he smiled with understanding and encouragement. He knew how ominous the Well looked, and remembered how afraid of it he had once been. But as then he wrapped his arms about their shoulders, watched as they found their courage, and as one, they cast themselves into the well.

The past two times Michiru had taken this plunge, he had fallen straight to the bottom, and a tiny part of him expected that to happen again. However, as they fell, the pendants worn by the three of them lit up with brilliant blue light, and the Bone-Eater's Well responded. It's forbidding abyss disappeared, and in its wake, a brilliant wave of magical light erupted around them, even more amazing than in the video Michiru had seen. Their descent slowed as the magic surrounded them; it felt more like they were floating than falling, and the three of them gasped in awe and wonder.

Eventually, the magic released them to a soft landing, at which they found themselves surrounding by the stony walls of the Bone-Eater's Well. "Huh?" Kaname muttered as she blankly looked about. "Did…did it work?"

While Kaname and Sota looked about their side, Michiru simply looked straight up. At which his mouth erupted in a grin that threatened to overwhelm his face. "There's your answer! Up there!" The two of them looked upwards as well, and both broke out in their own grins. The shrine that had covered the well in the present was no longer there, revealing nothing but open, blue skies.

"Let's go!" Sota jumped, and with that the three of them began climbing out of the well.

When they had just about reached the top of the Well, they heard something approaching from outside the Well. "It's about time, Kagome!" a familiar voice growled crossly. "What took you – huh? _What the hell?"_ Just as Michiru was getting his hand out of the well, he felt a strong, clawed hand wrap about his wrist and haul him up. As he rose up out of the Well, he came face-to-face with InuYasha

Grunting in pain, and trying to stabilize himself with his free hand, Michiru smiled as the half-demon's jaw fell in total shock. "Uh, sorry, InuYasha! Kagome's…not here right now!"

"Michiru?" InuYasha yelped, almost dropping his friend in his shock. "What the - how the hell did you get back here?"

"It's a long story, and if you'd help me and the others up, I'd be happy to tell you!" Michiru grunted, feeling like his arm was about to pop right out of its socket.

"Others?" InuYasha shouted as he helped Michiru out, then turned to lift Sota and Kaname up.

"Sota? What are you -? And – and - ?" InuYasha barked, only to stop when he looked into Kaname's face. "Wait…you're…!"

As InuYasha's voice failed him, he found himself staring in astonishment at Kaname. "Oh, wow!" she breathed, her eyes widening with delight.

"Uh…what is it?" InuYasha started, looking a bit panicked as Kaname went up to him. "Is…something wrong? Are you…?"

"You're so _adorable!"_ Kaname gushed as she hugged InuYasha. The half-demon stiffened like a board, his hands sticking out rigidly like he didn't know what to do with them. "Oh, I've been wanting to meet you all this time!" Kaname pulled back a bit, releasing her deathgrip on the half-demon so that she could take hold of his ears. "And now…! Oh, wow! This is amazing!"

"I don't believe this!" InuYasha growled, more stunned and shocked than anything as he looked at Michiru. "What is it with girls from your crazy world that they have to keep touching my ears…?"

Despite himself, Michiru couldn't help but laugh at the half-demon's discomfort. "InuYasha, let me introduce you to -!"

"Kaname! Yeah, I know!" InuYasha grunted nervously.

"Huh?" Kaname squeaked out, her smile falling into a look of confusion. "But…wait. How'd you know my name?"

His throat clenching, InuYasha took a step back as he looked over at Michiru. "Well…Michiru told us all about you!" the half-demon sputtered out. "B-besides, you…you smell like him!"

"I…smell like him?" Kaname repeated, not exactly sure what to make of this statement.

"Oh, right. I guess I forgot," Michiru broke in, smacking himself in the head. "InuYasha's sense of smell is a lot more sensitive than a human's."

"Yeah, that's right!" InuYasha declared, some of his normal belligerence returning as he folded his arms in front of him. "I mean…you practically have 'Kururugi' written all over you! Who else could you be, but…!" Before the silver-maned warrior could complete this sentence, however, his ears pricked. As he fell silent, Michiru was able to hear it as well; a faint, feminine grunting that was echoing up from the Well. The four of them turning about, they watched as a slender hand popped out of the Well.

Just as Kagome was poking her head over the top of the Well, Sota bounced up to her. "Hey, sis!" he grinned right in her face. Looking up at her brother, Kagome went rigid for a moment. Then her eyes and mouth popped open and she let out a strangled cry of shock. Without warning, she lost her grip on the Well's top, and fell back down into its depths.

"Kagome!" InuYasha yelped, and the four of them went to the Well just in time to see the flash of light that indicated Kagome had been sent back through time to the present. InuYasha quickly jumped after her, disappearing as well.

After a few seconds, Kaname looked up at the others. "I'm guessing that this could take awhile…" she remarked as Michiru and Sota smiled ruefully. A few minutes passed, and soon enough InuYasha and Kagome were back, appearing suddenly as the half-demon leapt out of the well with the reborn priestess in his arms.

"Omigosh! Michiru, is that really you?" Kagome grinned as she landed on her feet. Running up to the Shikigami User, she threw her arms about his shoulders. "I don't believe it! You really did it! You found a way to pass through the Well!"

"Kagome's mom just told us about those pendants you made, Michiru," InuYasha smiled as he came up to his friend. "Damn, it's great to see you again! I _knew_ that something like this stupid Well wouldn't stop you!"

While the three friends were busy delighting in their reunion, Sota frowned and asked, "Wait a minute, if Mom and Grandpa told you about the pendants, why were you so surprised to see me?" Sota asked.

Snorting in disbelief, Kagome gave her brother a dirty look. "Gee, I don't know. Maybe it's because a certain _someone _jumped right in my face and sent me falling back down the Well!" While Sota was wincing at this, recoiling with a blush, his sister looked about and spotted the other girl present. "Oh, my...Michiru, is that…?"

"Yeah," Michiru nodded as he gestured at his twin. "Kagome, let me introduce you to my sister. Kaname."

"Hi, Kagome," Kaname smiled shyly as she came to stand before her. "Nice to meet you."

"Oh, so you're Kaname?" Kagome beamed as she took the Kururugi girl's hand in her own. "It's nice to meet you, too!"

Watching as the girls shook hands, InuYasha turned and grinned at Michiru. "So, I see you finally decided to tell her about what you've been doing all this time."

"Yeah. My bro's told me all about you!" Kaname enthused before Michiru could open his mouth. "He's also shown me videos, and told me about all the adventures and everything you've had back here!" Giving them a bashful smile, she blushed somewhat before confessing, "You know…in a way, I still can't believe this is all happening to me. I mean, I'm here _in another time,_ and I…I still can't believe it!"

Nodding thoughtfully, Kagome placed her free hand on Kaname's. "I know how that feels. _Believe me,_ I know!" she told her emphatically. Then she turned towards Michiru, and asked, "But…what are you doing here, anyway? I mean, I never even called you to let you know we were back! So…why'd you…?"

"Hmm? Oh, right!" Michiru got out. Shifting about on his feet, he looked about at his friends, and finally said, "Well…it's kind of a long story…"

"Then hurry up and tell it already!" InuYasha grinned, clapping his friend on the shoulder before seating himself on the ground.

Wincing in pain and wondering not for the first time if InuYasha knew his own strength, Michiru looked about and sighed. "Okay, okay!" he smiled before sitting down as well. As soon as the others were seated, he started telling his friends about everything that had happened since he had last seen them. When he decribed the fate of their most recent training ground, InuYasha snickered loudly and Kagome gaped at the girl in shock.

"You _blew up an entire parking garage?"_ Kagome gawked, her mouth hanging open as InuYasha and Sota laughed even more loudly.

"It was an accident! I swear it!" Kaname protested, her cheeks burning in humiliation.

"That's right. Besides…we didn't so much blow it up as we knocked it down," Michiru admitted with a shrug.

"Wow. Maybe you two should open your own demolition company!" Sota smirked.

"Damn, that's cool. You must be pretty strong to be able to do something like that, Kaname," InuYasha decided.

"Oh!" Kaname jumped, her face turning a deeper shade of red. "Um…thank you, InuYasha!"

Pausing just long enough to shoot a dangerous look at InuYasha, Kagome then returned her attention to Michiru. "Well, okay. But that still doesn't explain why you just came over to my place when you didn't even know I was there!"

"I know, Kagome. But…the thing is, I couldn't think of any place back home where we could train and not have anyone see us!" Michiru explained, holding out his hands helplessly before him. "And I hadn't had a chance to see if the pendants I was working on would actually work, so I figured I could try them out. And if they worked, then Kaname and I could come back here, and practice near the village."

"Huh?" Kagome started, her eyes rounding with shock. "You mean…you were going to train…_here?_ In the Feudal Era?"

"Well, sure! Why not? After all, Kaname's already way stronger than I was when I first came here," Michiru explained, gesturing at his sister. "And besides, with Naraku dead, what is there to worry about?" The moment he said this last bit, however, he knew that he had said something wrong. Both InuYasha's and Kagome's faces turned grim, their eyes lowering to the ground. Feeling a chill running up and down his spine, Michiru looked back and forth between the two of them, and finally asked, "Um…is there something I should know?"

Nodding somberly, InuYasha growled, "You could say that." And with that, he began his own long story. One that sent Michiru's heart sinking into his toes.

* * *

"_What?_" Michiru howled as soon as InuYasha and Kagome had finished breaking the bad news to him. "Naraku is still _alive?_ But how? I thought we killed him!"

"So did we," Kagome confessed, a dismal expression on her face.

"He popped up a couple days ago," InuYasha told them, his eyes narrowed with hatred and barely-contained rage. "It turns out he just put a small part of himself into Utsugi, so that he could control him. As if that wasn't enough, it turns out that Kagura and Kanna are still around!"

"What?" Michiru gaped, horrified by this revelation.

Kagome nodded sadly. "Naraku faked their deaths in order to fool Utsugi and us, and then he had launch a surprise attack in order to try and get our shards of the Sacred Jewel."

His mouth opening and closing as he tried to assimilate this horrifying revelation, Michiru looked hard at his companions. "W-what about the others? Are they okay? And what about Kohaku?"

"They're all fine. Everyone else is…alive," Kagome assured Michiru, her own expression becoming more and more sorrowful. "But Miroku…his Wind Tunnel is back again, and Kohaku…Naraku took him back from us as well."

As these words thrust clean and clear into his mind, Michiru felt as if someone had reached into his chest and tore his still-beating heart from it. Horror ripped across his entire body, leaving him numb with pain, his mind conjuring up images of his friends, his companions as their lives were again ripped apart by the monstrosity he had once thought dead. "No…." Michiru moaned, thinking of Miroku with death once again living in his hand. And Sango…he found himself flashing back to the desperate, agonizing moments in which Sango had been forced to choose between the life of her brother, and her friends. He saw that pain on her face in his mind, magnified a thousand times over. All because of an abomination that thought nothing of the many lives sacrificed for his evil ambitions. That still lived to torment them and others.

These images caused a pure, burning hatred to build up and flow through Michiru, moving and growing until it erupted in a cry of sheer rage. "Dammit! _That does it!"_ Michiru howled, all his concerns in the modern forgotten as he unknowingly performed a good impression of InuYasha. "I swear, I won't rest until we bring down Naraku for good!"

"Yeah!" InuYasha grinned. "That's the spirit! Damn, it's good to see someone talking sense instead of moping around!"

While Kagome was fixing InuYasha with an accusatory glare, Kaname came up to her brother's side.

"That's right, bro!" she chimed in, clapping him on the shoulder. "Count me in!"

Turning about to look at his sister, Michiru was brought back to the present. "Kaname…" he faltered, his anger fading as she considered his twin, who had never once been in a battle. "No, Kaname…you shouldn't…"

Blinking rapidly, Kaname then grimaced when she realize what her brother was about to say. "Michiru, don't you even _think_ of telling me to just forget about this and go back home!"

"No, Kaname! You can't come with us!" Michiru protested. "Coming here to train was one thing, but this…!"

"Michiru…" Kagome murmured, her eyes welling up with sympathy.

As for InuYasha, he rose up to his feet and glowered at the Kururugi boy. "Hey, what's the matter with you, Michiru? Didn't you say that you thought Kaname could handle herself?"

"What? InuYasha, are you crazy?" Michiru gaped as Kagome echoed this sentiment. "She can't stay here! Naraku is the most evil and dangerous demon of them all! You of all people should know that!"

"And that's why I should stay, bro!" Kaname retorted, her eyes narrowed as she went up to face her twin. "Listen, I know you just want to protect me, but that's why I want to stay! To be able to help protect you and your friends!"

"Kaname…" Michiru tried again.

"Listen, you and I know we have these powers for a reason, Michiru! We both think we are destined to fight for what's right. So I'm staying with you." Kaname then paused, giving her brother an impish look. "Besides, what do you expect me to do back home? Stay up late each night, worrying that you might be dead?"

Working his mouth, trying to say something, Michiru looked over at his friends. At InuYasha, who was coming up towards them and fixing him with a look of intense experience. Of sadness. And of understanding. "I know you how much you want to keep your sister safe…but you can't protect her forever," the half-demon told him. "She…she has her own mind. She has a right to make her own decisions."

"That may be," Kagome chimed in, a definite frown on her face. "But Kaname hasn't fought any demons before, let alone something like Naraku. Powers or no powers, she doesn't have as much experience as the rest of us."

"Yeah? Well I don't remember that stopping _you _when I told you to go home and stay there!" InuYasha grumbled good-naturedly. Then he snorted and grinned at Michiru. "Besides, I'm betting that Kaname knows how you made those pendants of yours. Right, Michiru?"

Blinking a few times at this, Kaname grinned at her twin. "That's right, bro! I know _exactly _how to make more of those pendants, any time I want!" she declared victoriously. "So even if you got rid of all of them, I could just make more any time I want and come after you!"

"But…!" Michiru fumbled out, only to groan in dismay. "Ugh…you're not going to take 'no' for an answer, are you…?"

Chuckling at this, Kaname shook her head. "Sorry, bro. I know you're just trying to do what's right," she told him. "But…I guess we just have different ideas about what's right for me."

Groaning heavily as he looked at his sister, and then his friends, Michiru watched as InuYasha smiled his sympathy. "Well, now that that's settled, let's get to the village!" he growled friendlily. "We still have to introduce Kaname to the others!"

"Yeah…I guess you're right," Kagome decided as she extended her hand to the Kururugi girl. "Welcome to the team, Kaname."

"Thank you, both of you," Kaname replied, bowing her head. "I promise I won't slow you guys down."

"Aw, relax!" InuYasha snorted. "Your brother never once slowed us down, so why should you?"

Her cheeks burning with embarrassment and pleasure, Kaname smiled as Michiru went up to his friend's side. "Thanks, InuYasha," he told him. Then he let some of his annoyance flash in his eyes before whispering, "But just so you know, I'll expect you to help me keep an eye out for her."

"Feh! Of _course_ I'll be looking after her!" InuYasha grumbled good-naturedly. "Seriously! What do you expect with me around?" Michiru didn't say anything to this; instead, he simply smiled at how much it was beginning to feel like old times.

As the small group was conversing amongst themselves, a younger voice piped up. "Hey! InuYasha! What's taking you so long?" Starting at the voice, a voice he instantly recognized, Michiru turned and looked up above. Sure enough, there was Shippo, the mischievous young fox-demon, who was floating towards them in the form of big, pink blob.

"Hey, Shippo!" Michiru called out, suddenly unable to feel dour at the sight of his young friend. As for the fox-demon, his eyes widened in shock, exploding into a puff of smoke as he transformed back and fell to the ground. Crying out in surprise, Michiru darted forward and reached out just in time to catch Shippo before he hit the ground

"Wha-?" Shippo sputtered as he recovered. Then, after shaking his head a few times, the fox-demon looked dumbstruck at the boy who held him. "Oh, wow! Michiru? Is that really you? I can't believe it!"

"You better believe it!" Michiru laughed, holding up the fox-demon so her seated comfortably in his hands. "Because it's true! I'm back, alright!"

"Oh, wow! This is so great!" Shippo exclaimed, jumping up to wrap his tiny arms about Michiru's neck. The two of them laughed merrily as the fox-demon swung about him, finally causing the Shikigami User to fall to the ground.

"This is amazing!" Sota enthused, his hands clenched in his excitement as he watched the two boys laughing. "I can't believe I'm actually here!"

The sound of a voice he didn't recognize tore Shippo's attention away from Michiru. "Huh?" the fox-demon got out as he turned to face the speaker. When he spotted Sota and Kaname, he cried out in surprise around eyeballs that were trying to bulge their way out of their sockets. "Hey! Who are you two?"

"It's a long story, Shippo!" Kagome replied, looking somewhat exhausted now. "We'll explain it to you on the way back to the village."

"Right, so let's get going. Sango and Miroku must be wondering what's keeping us," InuYasha growled warmly, and it was at that point that Michiru's heart fluttered. Despite the horror that Naraku's revelation had brought him, the knowledge that they had lost so much of what they had won from him, he couldn't help but focus on what he had finally won for himself. He was really back with his friends. He was really back with everyone. And soon, very soon, he would be able to see Sango again.

With new enthusiasm, Michiru led the way back to Kaede's village.

* * *

Author's Notes: Finally! Michiru has returned to the Feudal Era, and is about to be reunited with Sango! Please, read and review! And maybe check out my other stories while you're at it!

Jetty, I don't know when Michiru and Sango will share their first kiss. It might not be for a little while. Remember, Sango has a great deal of emotional baggage to deal with, and has difficulty showing how she feels at times. Still, I will be including some fluff between them in the not-too-distant future, so be on the lookout for it!


	10. Dinner at the Higurashi Shrine

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Chapter 10: Dinner at the Higurashi Shrine

The trip to Kaede's Village was peaceful, and during this time they brought Shippo up to speed about Kaname's presence with them. But Michiru barely paid any attention to this. For as the group drew ever closer to the village, Sango's lovely visage appeared in his thoughts, over and over again. And each time it did, his heart went totally crazy, a goofy smile appearing on his face.

"Hey, Michiru, you okay?" Shippo asked at some point. "Your face is all red."

Startled from his thoughts, Michiru hesitated before opening his mouth to respond. But before he could say a word, Kaname grinned impishly and said, "That's because he's thinking about Sango!"

Jolted by the frankness with which Kaname spoke, Michiru felt his cheeks burn like his Fire Shikigami. "Aw, c'mon, sis!"

"Why? You basically have her name written all over your face!" Kaname returned, smirking mischievously.

Snorting with laughter at this exchange, InuYasha grinned at his friend. "Relax, Michiru! I'm sure Sango will be glad to see you!" he told him, his hands folded behind his head. "It's pretty obvious that she misses you!"

"That's right!" Shippo confirmed. "And when InuYasha notices something like that, you know it's really bad!"

"Really?" Michiru frowned, almost afraid to get his hopes up as InuYasha growled menacingly and shook his fist at the fox-demon.

Giving InuYasha a scolding frown, Kagome sighed as she turned to Michiru. "That's right. We _all _missed you here," she muttered, glancing back at the half-demon. "But…I'd be careful with Sango if I were you. She's…been having a real hard time, dealing with losing Kohaku again."

"I understand that, Kagome. Really," Michiru told her earnestly.

"Yeah. And she's also been having a hard time dealing with a certain monk," InuYasha grumbled, drawing a low growl from Kagome. "Just the other day, when he was trying to make her feel better, he was helping himself to a feel of her butt!"

"InuYasha!" Kagome cried out.

"He _what?"_ Michiru shouted, suddenly outraged. "H-how could he _do _something like that to her? _Now, _of all times?"

"Hey, what do you expect? He does it _all _the time!" InuYasha grinned.

"He's just having a hard time with this, just like everybody else!" Kagome glowered, her hands at her hips. "In case you've forgotten, Miroku's Wind Tunnel is back! And unless we can find some way to seal it up for good, it'll kill him!"

Grunting his irritation, InuYasha shot back with, "Hey, I know that, Kagome!"

"Then would it kill you to try and be at least a little sensitive to his feelings?" Kagome wondered. Then she looked over at Michiru, and her expression immiedately softened. "Uh, I'm sorry about that Michiru. I…"

"No, it's okay, Kagome. I understand," Michiru assured her. "And…well, you might not believe it, but, I do feel sorry for Miroku. For all of you. Really!"

Her ire fading away completely, Kagome nodded. "I know you do. And actually, it's kind of refreshing," she decided, glancing over at InuYasha. "After all, how many other guys do you know who'd think about the feelings of their rivals in love?"

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" InuYasha growled lowly.

"Hey, c'mon, you two!" Shippo protested. "Sheesh! You've only been back five minutes, and you're already fighting!"

"That's right," Kaname chimed in, looking at them disapprovingly. "Look, I know it must be horrible for all of you right now. But fighting and hurting each other isn't going to help you feel better!"

Blinking a few times at the Kururugi girl, Kagome smiled contritely. "You're right, Kaname. We're sorry," she admitted. "Right, InuYasha?"

"Huh?" the half-demon glowered, his pride bristling the notion of apologizing. But when he looked over at Kaname, his anger faded somewhat. "Agh…yeah, sure. Whatever."

Heaving a weary breath at was probably the closest thing he'd ever seen InuYasha come to an apology, Michiru turned about and they continued onwards towards the village. When they finally arrived, the Shikigami User found himself looking about in delight at the familiar settings and people as they went about their daily routines. Eventually, he sighted a tiny, familiar figure meandering about the streets. "Hey, it's Kirara!" he cried out. "Kirara! Come here, Kirara!" As he cooed and called, the two-tailed demon cat turned and looked in his direction. Meowing her surprise, Kirara then dashed over to him and all but flew into his arms. "Aw, that's a good girl!" Michiru beamed as Kirara ran up his shoulder and curled about his neck. "I'm glad to see you two, Kirara!"

"Oh, she's so cute!" Kaname cooed, reaching up to pet Kirara as well.

"We've always gotten along well, haven't we, Kirara?" Michiru asked as rubbed her between her head, her blissful purring filling his ears. "Say, Kirara? Do you know where Sango is?"

"No need to ask her that! Take a look!" Looking at InuYasha, Michiru watched as he pointed off towards one of the fields. As they all followed his outstretched finger, Michiru's heart began leaping like a kangaroo gone mad. A short distance away, Miroku was dashing along one of the paths, looking much like a scared rabbit while Sango chased right after him, swinging her Hiraikotsu in absolute fury.

"Sango…" Michiru whispered, his throat gone dry. The video, his sketches, nothing compared to seeing the real Sango, and as he watched her move about, time rolled back and the feelings he had for her felt even more fresh and vibrant than the day he had first discovered them.

"Damn you, Miroku!" Sango howled furiously as she relentlessly pursued the lecherous monk, swinging the massive boomerang bone about. "How many times do I have to tell you to keep your hands to yourself?"

"But Sango, how can you expect me to ignore something as marvelous as your flawless body?" Miroku asked rhetorically as he successfully evaded Sango's many lunges. Their chase bringing them ever closer to Michiru and the others.

"If you have to admire me, try doing it from a distance!" Sango raged, readying to take another swing. So close that Michiru could see her eyes, eyes that were so beautiful, even when narrowed with fury.

"Sango!" Michiru called out before his heart could try to jump out of his throat instead, waving his arms at the Demon Slayer. The moment his voice was heard, Sango stopped in mid-swing, her Hiraikotsu falling to the ground as her anger evaporated into nothingness. Slowly, so slowly that it barely seemed like she was moving, she turned to look at him, her eyes growing wide as her mouth opened.

It took her a couple tries to find her voice, but soon her mouth was working and Sango was finally able to speak. "Mi…Michiru? Michiru?" she shouted, her voice one of consummate surprise and delight. Letting Hiraikotsu fall to the ground, she dashed over to him as quickly as her legs could carry her. When she was a few feet away from the Shikigami User, she slowly came to a halt before him, her face turning into one of fearful uncertainty. "Are you…?" Sango stalled for a moment, her voice shuddering as dampness filled her eyes. "Is it…really you this time?"

"I…I…" Michiru stammered, completely at a loss for words. Instead, he reached out, took one of Sango's hands in his own, and thrilled to the delightful warmth of her touch. "Oh, Sango…" he spoke again, tears overflowing his eyes as the joy and emotion of this moment became too much for him to restrain. As if his touch had shattered whatever emotional dam was in her, tears spilled down Sango's face, and before Michiru knew what had happened, she took him in her strong arms and held onto him like she would never let go. And it was an embrace he gladly returned, for he never wanted to let her go.

"You came back, Michiru! You came back!" Sango whispered so gently, yet so strongly. As for Michiru, no words escaped his lips, for none existed that could capture his feelings. Instead, his tears spoke his feelings as they continued to roll down his face. He wanted this moment to last forever, for he couldn't imagine ever being any happier than he was in that instant.

Unfortunately, Miroku decided to break up this reunion. "Well, Michiru, it's certainly a surprise to see you again." Slowly, with tremendous reluctance, Michiru pulled back from Sango, and looked at the monk. "However did you manage to get back?"

"I'll explain everything later," Michiru replied, hoping he didn't grit his teeth or anything. "In the meantime, I'd like to introduce you to my twin sister."

"Hello. I'm Kaname, Kaname Kururugi," she said, stepping forward to bow slightly before Miroku and Sango.

"Wow. You two look so much alike," Sango commented, deciding that Kaname looked like a female version of her brother.

As for Miroku, he studied Kaname with an appraising eye before going up to her. "Excuse me, Kaname, but could you do me a favor?"

"What kind of a favor?" Kaname asked innocently. Apparently unaware of the groans and eyes that were currently rolling up at this.

"Could you please be the mother of my children?" Wincing, Michiru and Sango groaned heavily while the others made various noises of dismay. Only Sota was shocked into surprise by the audacity of such a request.

"Hmmm…" Kaname began, a thoughtful look on her face before she finally grinned. "Sure! That sounds like fun!" This time, everybody was completely floored while Sota had the good sense to pass out.

"You…you mean it?" Miroku asked, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Well, what can I say? I can't say no to such a handsome monk!" Kaname replied as she bounced up to Miroku. Looking totally, _totally_ innocent.

"Kaname! What are you thinking?" Michiru howled in utter shock and outrage.

"Well, it seems obvious to me that your sister has exquisite taste, Michiru," Miroku stated calmly, taking both of Kaname's hands in his own. "Now, perhaps if you would excuse us, Kaname and I could relocate to somewhere more private."

A hushed gasp escaping her lips, Sango began to quake fury. "I don't believe this…!" she growled, metaphoric flames rising up from her that weren't nearly as metaphoric as anybody was comfortable with.

As for Kaname, she paid no attention to any of this. "Oh, but I can't wait! I'm all fired up!" With that she wrapped her arms around Miroku like she had hormones for brains. Then Michiru and everybody else noticed a pentagram forming at her feet, the Fire Shikigami power rising up around her. "It's time to put a bum in the oven!" With that, a lion of flame erupted from the pentagram and shot down straight at the two of them. The Shikigami power did nothing to hurt the person from which it came, despite the fact that it completely surrounded her. Miroku, on the other hand, looked a tad on the crisp side when the Fire Shikigami finally dissipated.

"I really should have known better…" Miroku gasped, a puff of smoke escaping his lips.

"That's right, _you should have!_" Sango shouted. Her face flush with humiliation and outrage, she let go of Michiru and stomped over to Miroku. Smashing the monk over the head, she proceeded to dart away from the rest of them, with Kirara leaping from Michiru's neck to follow.

"Sango, wait!" Michiru cried out as she dashed away. "Kaname, what were you thinking, doing something like that?"

"I'm sorry," Kaname started, a genuinely apologetic look on her face. "It's just that I couldn't believe it when you told me about Miroku asking women to bear his children. Then I got curious about what would happen if somebody actually agreed, so…"

"So you decided to play this trick on me?" Miroku asked easily, dusting the soot off of his person. "Now that wasn't a very nice thing for a lovely maiden such as yourself to do!"

"By the way, what did you mean when you said you were putting a bum in the oven?" InuYasha asked, grinning like crazy over this. "Aside from the obvious, that is!"

"Well, in our time, putting a bun in the oven is a slang term for getting pregnant," Kaname explained while Miroku practiced looking hurt and indignant.

"Oh, I get it!" InuYasha replied in comprehension, chuckling even more.

"I'm not sure I do," Shippo grumbled.

Michiru didn't share InuYasha's amusement. All he cared about that his reunion with Sango had been cut dreadfully short. And he was about to express his annoyance when an older voice was heard. "Bless my soul! What is all this commotion?"

Looking about, Michiru saw another friend from the past approaching. "Kaede!"

Her one eye lightning up with recognition, Kaede gaped at the Shikigami User. "My goodness! Michiru Kururugi, is that really you?"

"It's great to see you, too, Kaede!" Michiru greeted as the elderly priestess slowly approached.

"Oh, my word! What a pleasant surprise to see you again, child!" With that, they all began talking at once, speaking of all that had happened since they had parted ways. It was like no time had passed at all, good friends coming together as naturally as rivers flowed into one lake. Only one thing remained incomplete as Michiru looked down the path Sango had disappeared from.

* * *

It was roughly three in the afternoon when Sango returned, looking a great deal calmer than she had when she had fled. The group had adjourned to Kaede's house and were enjoying a late lunch when she appeared, and even managed to grace him with a kindly smile. Still, Michiru could easily see the hurt that remained on her face, and it was even easier to see it when Kaname tried to apologize for what she had done earlier.

"I'm not angry," was all Sango would say to her. Without another word, she took the serving of food meant for her, and sat down in the corner began eating quietly. Michiru knew her well enough to know it was best to leave her be at times like this, and let her work things out on her own. She was a woman who strove to be as strong as possible despite everything, something he had grown to respect. But at the same time, he could help but be saddened at the way she ended up isolating herself, to hide the all-too human pain she felt.

"Sango must be really mad at me, huh, bro?" Kaname gloomily as she sat next to her brother. "I wish I'd never pulled that dumb joke."

"Don't worry, sis, I know Sango won't hold it against you. She just needs some time to think and sort things out for herself," Michiru assured her. Trying to keep his own pain from showing in his voice.

"Aye, child," Kaede agreed as she came over to where they were stated. "Sango is a gentle girl at heart, but she has been hurt badly by the events of recent. Your prank was most ill-timed."

"I really am sorry about that," Kaname apologized.

"We understand that, as does Sango. She merely needs time to herself," Kaede assured her. "Fear not; I'm certain she'll be in good humor soon enough."

"I hope so…" Kaname murmured lowly. Slowly, they all started talking amongst themselves. The ice slowly breaking, the conversation amongst them all became more fluid and natural.

"You know, I still can't believe you actually found a way to get through the Well," Kagome declared at one point. "After all this time, wondering what makes it work…it's amazing!"

"Neither can I," Michiru admitted ruefully, much to the surprise of those around him. "If Wyvern hadn't figured out the Well worked, I'd probably still be at home, digging through the scrolls in the Kururugi Shrine!"

Quirking a smile, Kagome soon found herself chuckling at the image, along with Shippo and Sota. Then something else occurred to her. "Hey, speaking of home, what about your parents?"

"Huh? What about them?" Michiru wondered blankly.

"Oh, c'mon! You must've told them about all this! So how did you get your parents to let you and Kaname come here?" Kagome clarified. Only to frown when Michiru's mouth dropped to the floor, which was seconded by Kaname groaning in dismay. "Huh? Wait a minute…you _did_ tell your parents about all of this…didn't you?"

"No, we didn't!" Michiru groaned, realizing his blunder. That he had forgotten that his time with friends would be so dreadfully limited. "I got so caught up in figuring out how to get back here and training Kaname that I completely forgot about explaining this whole thing to Mom and Dad!"

Unable to help herself, Kagome broke out in a case of the giggles while InuYasha snorted, "Oh, good one, Michiru! And just how the hell are you going to explain this one, huh?"

"I don't know!" Michiru moaned, burying his face in his hands. Unable to imagine the idea of him and Kaname spending days on end back in the past, fighting demons and facing life-threatening danger, going over so well with his parents.

While Michiru was busy mentally kicking himself to the moon, Kaede looked gently at him. "Now, now, child! Did ye not say that you had permission at least to spend today with your friends?" When Michiru slowly looked at her and nodded, the elder priestess smiled warmly. "Then save your worries for later, and be at ease with us for as long you two are able. When the time comes, I'm certain you will find the solution."

_If only it were that simple,_ was what Michiru thought. What he actually said was, "Thank you, Kaede." And with that, they spent the rest of the day relaxing comfortably, reacquainting themselves and enjoying their time together.

* * *

A few hours later, the sun began its descent below the horizon. As far as Michiru was concerned, the day had been painfully short as he and the others approached the Bone-Eater's Well. However, he did his best to keep his gloomy thoughts to himself, not wanting to cause the others more grief than they had already endured. Still, this did nothing to lessen his surprise when, as they approached the Well, an unexpected face popped out of it.

"Mom? What are you doing here?" Kagome asked, jolted at this reminder that use of the Bone-Eater's Well was no longer restricted to just InuYasha and herself.

"I'm sorry we're late, Mom!" Sota started as he ran up to her. "It's just that…I was having so much fun with everybody, and…!"

"It's alright, Sota," Mrs. Higurashi assured her son before looking up at the others. "Oh, Michiru, Kaname. I'm sorry to bother you two, but…your parents are back at our house."

"What?" the Kururugi twins jumped at the same time. While Michiru was groaning in dismay, Kaname asked, "Our parents? They're really at your place?"

Mrs. Higurashi nodded. "They said that they'd come to pick you two up. When they didn't see you anywhere in the house, your father…I'm afraid that he was a bit upset when he didn't see you two there." Sympathy lining her face, she clasped her hands together and concluded, "Father's keeping him busy, but I'm afraid you two will have to come back for now."

"Oh, that's right. Dad did pick me up from there that one time, and…" Michiru lamented, shaking his head. "So this is it, huh?" Furrowing his brows as he came to stare down into the depths of the Bone-Eater's Well, someone came up from behind him and placed a hand upon his shoulder. He felt a flash of joy as he turned, and saw Sango smiling at him.

"Michiru, you do whatever it is that youhave to do," the Demon Slayer told him. "We'll be waiting for you when you get back."

"Sango…" Michiru said, his hearting melting as his head went all floaty.

"Come on! We'll come with you two! Right, InuYasha?" Kagome told him. "I'm sure we can find some way to convince your parents to let you come with us!"

"I don't know, Kagome! Our parents are real stubborn!" Kaname explained sadly.

"Feh! So what?" InuYasha boasted as he approached the Well. "C'mon, let's just get this over with! The sooner we convince them to let you two go, the sooner we can get back and start looking for Naraku!" As the half-demon looked about them, Michiru couldn't help but feel his enthusiasm spreading. A bit of hope rekindling itself in his heart, he and his sister, InuYasha, and the three Higurashi's leapt into the Well, and soon emerged into the Higurashi Shrine.

After they had all made their way out of the Bone-Eater's Well and the Shrine that held it, Mrs. Higurashi led the small group over to the house. "Kagome, InuYasha, I think it would be best if you two waited out here," she told them gently. "It'll give Michiru and Kaname a chance to explain things to their parents."

"Okay," Kagome agreed before turning to the twins. "Now just remember, you two, if you need to tell your dad about us, then go right ahead!"

"Are you sure about that, Kagome? InuYasha?" Michiru asked, a trace of disbelief still in his face. Some of his old fears clinging relentlessly to him. "I mean…"

Growling impatiently, InuYasha stomped up to the twins. "Dammit, Michiru, haven't you been listening? Just do what you have to!" he grumbled before giving them a light shove in the right direction, both literally and figuratively. "So get in there and do it!"

Startled by this brusque treatment, Michiru held up his hands defensively. "Okay, okay!" he protested as Kaname smiled. Deciding not to risk an even harder shove, the two of them, accompanied by Kagome's mother and Sota, made their way into the Higurashi home. When they reached the living room, they found their parents holding an active conversation with Grandpa.

"Um…hi, Mom…Dad," Michiru started bashfully, unable to come up with anything more clever to say.

Turning to look at their children, Mr. and Mrs. Kururugi rose up and glared scornfully. "Michiru! Kaname!" their mother began, invoking her voice of authority. "Where have you been all of this time?"

"You were supposed have been home by now!" their father declared, knocking the twins back with the sheer force of his voice.

"Uh, yeah!" Kaname muttered, shrinking away from their parents. "Well…you see…"

Wincing as his sister trailed off, Michiru felt his knees wobbling as he tried to find something to say to them. To make them see reason. "Well, um, that is…there's something we'd like to tell you…"

"Oh, really?" Mrs. Kururugi muttered, raising an eyebrow at her children. However, even as Michiru and Kaname were imagining the worst, she let her angered face fall away, and instead smiled knowingly. "Well, as it happens…there are few things that your father and I would like to discuss with you as well."

"Quite so," Mr. Kururugi intoned, wearing a similar smirk. "For example…when were you planning on introducing us to that half-demon boy and the young priestess that are standing outside this house?"

Very nearly falling over, Michiru gasped and looked in shock at his parents. Then he turned about to look at his sister, and found his own astonishment reflected in her face. Then the twins weren't the only ones affected; Grandpa had practically fallen out of his chair, while Sota was standing awkwardly on one leg, his arms spread out to keep him from failing. In fact, the only one not flattened was Mrs. Higurashi, whose sole expression of surprise was to blink a few times.

"_Whaaaaaaaaaat?"_ Michiru bellowed, almost fainting as this single cry exhausted all the air in his lungs.

"How…how do you know about InuYasha? Or that Kagome's a priestess? Or – or -!" Kaname blared, her eyes ballooning at this as her voice failed completely.

Mr. Kururugi gave them a knowing look. "To put it simply, I've been keeping an eye on you two for some time now," he told them. While they were trying to put the pieces of their respective minds back together, they watched as a strange bird fluttered in through one of the windows, approached their father…and turned into a paper talisman with a crimson pentagram on it. "So…what makes you two think that you're the only ones to have discovered our family legacy, hmmm?"

Again on the verge of passing out, Michiru stared incredulously at his father. "Shikigami?" he spat out, unable to believe what he was seeing. "Dad? You...you mean…that you have that power as well?"

"Then…you knew about our training?" Kaname cried out. "But then…why didn't you say something before?"

Smiling as he shook his head, their father answered, "I didn't want to do anything that might discourage you from doing what you felt needed to be done. Instead, I thought it best if I watched my children make these discoveries for themselves, just close enough to step in if need be." Leaning forward, Mr. Kururugi looked intently at his son. "And that's why they were there watching, after the destruction of the prison, and how I know of your battle with Ryokage. And they were there when you told Kaname of the adventures you had in the Feudal Era." Letting out a low whistle, he looked over at his wife, who smiled her support. "Now, I must admit, if I hadn't seen some of the things I'd seen in my time…"

"Very true," Mrs. Kururugi agreed before looking at their children. "After all, we've…had our share of interesting times."

"I don't _believe this!_ You mean you were spying on me the _whole time?"_ Michiru gaped, all the while kicking himself for not noticing his father's Shikigami before.

Their father laughed pleasantly at this. "I'm sorry, son, but we were worried about you! You'd been acting very strangely since the Doll Festival, so I sent my Shikigami to watch over you, just to make sure you weren't getting in over your head." Then he gave a wry snort, and looked at Michiru with not just a little awe. "But I never expected for you to discover your sleeping powers like this…and to have developed them to this extent! I was amazed!"

"We _both _were," Mrs. Kururugi added. "And then…when you were attacked, Kaname…well, I'm guessing that's what caused your own powers to manifest."

Nodding shakily, Kaname frowned as she studied her father. "But…if you have the Shikigami power as well, then…why didn't you do something? Why'd you sit back and let Michiru…I mean, I know he was doing his best to train me, but…!

"Because you were afraid. And having a difficult enough time with your own powers, not to mention Michiru's," Mr. Kururugi explained. "I…I didn't want to add to it." A solemn frowned pulled at his lips, and he added, "And…I'm sorry, but…I couldn't think of the right way to tell you about this."

Despite herself, Kaname found herself smiling. "Wow. _That _sure sounds familiar."

As Michiru flushed with embarrassment as well, Mrs. Kururugi chimed in. "Yes, you're your father's son, alright," she decided as she looked at her husband. "Isn't he?"

"He certainly is," Mr. Kururugi agreed. "And I might still be trying to find the right words, if it weren't for the fact that I saw you, Michiru, speaking of your adventures together. And that you were seeking to rejoin your friends, and continue your adventures with them."

"Yes, Dad," Michiru admitted, unsure of what else he could say.

"As for you, Kaname, I've seen that you want to become strong in the ancient ways of our family, and have decided to accompany your brother on this quest," the Kururugi patriarch intoned.

"Yes," Kaname answered.

The elder Kururugis looked at each for a moment before Mrs. Kururugi leaned forward, looking worriedly at her children. "You have to understand something, you two. This quest you want to take part in…it is bound to be fraught with danger. To battle against demons is not mere child's play."

"Very true," Mr. Kururugi seconded with stern look. "These will be hard times for the both of you, and you will face incredible danger. Now I'll ask you, both of you, is this truly what you want?"

For the first time in his life, Michiru didn't even have to pause to think out his words. "Mom, Dad, I…" Michiru started, his words coming straight from his heart. "I'm not who I used to be. Being with InuYasha, Sango, everybody, it…it changed me. I've seen so much, been through so many changes, there are times I look back at the way I used to be, and I can't even recognize myself. I…I don't think I could ever be happy with things going back to the way they used to be, because I now know of the powers I…we have, and Kaname and I both want to put them to good use. I want to help my friends, to be with them. If that isn't what you want, I'm sorry, but you won't change my mind. For better or for worse, I'm going."

"And where Michiru goes, I go, too!" Kaname insisted. "I want to see what he's seen, and do what he's done! I want to help him, and understand what it means to be strong, to be able to help people."

There was silence, and all eyes were on Mr. and Mrs. Kururugi. For the longest time, they simply sat there, until at last they looked at each other…and signed. "It would seem that our children have all grown up, and right beneath our noses, at that," the Kururugi matriarch murmured in a somewhat sad manner.

"They have a way of doing that," Mrs. Higurashi agreed.

"Yes…they do," Mr. Kururugi noted. Rising to his feet, his made his way up to his children. "Well, it seems that we couldn't stop you two, even if we wanted to. So, instead, I will give you my blessings. But only on two conditions."

"Which are…?" Michiru asked, a little confused.

"First of all, never forget that the Kururugi Shrine is your home, and that you will always be welcome there. Please, come home whenever you feel the need," their father told them, extremely seriously. Then he cracked a smile and said, "Second, please try to keep up your studies! It's bad enough you'll be missing as much school as you will be! I don't want your grades getting _that_ bad!" After a couple of blank looks from the twins, the entire Kururugi family shared a laugh that was as genuine as it was contagious, and it soon spread to the Higurashis as well.

"Oh, dear," Mrs. Kururugi murmured sadly. "Well, I suppose I'd better start thinking up some excuses as to why you'll be out of school so much."

"Oh, no problems there!" Grandpa chimed in gleefully. "I know all kinds of medical ailments you could use!"

"You certainly do, Father," Mrs. Higurashi agreed. "And now that _that's _settled…I better tell InuYasha and Kagome that they can come in. I'm sure they're going to want to hear about all of this."

"Yeah, I'll bet!" Michiru groaned, bringing his hand to his head even as Kagome's mother exited the living room. A short time later, she returned with their friends following a short distance behind.

"Well? How'd it go?" InuYasha demanded as he marched in and turned towards the twins. "Did you get permission from your folks or what?"

"InuYasha!" Kagome muttered as she came up behind him. She looked like she was going to say something else, but then she noticed Mr. and Mrs. Kururugi were there, looking at them. "Umm…" she hesitated, her mouth hanging open in surprise. "Hi, Mrs. Kururugi! I…!"

"Hello, Kagome. It's nice to see you again," Mrs. Kururugi greeted her pleasantly. Then she looked over at her companion and said, "And you must be InuYasha."

Pausing to look at Mrs. Kururugi, InuYasha frowned somewhat. While he had met many humans in the past, such a pleasant reaction to his presence was something he was not used to. "Uh…yeah," he got out. "So…what's happening here?"

Turning to face InuYasha, Mr. Kururugi declared, "To put it very simply, we have given our children what they wanted. Namely, our permission to travel with you and your friends." Both Kagome and InuYasha stared in confusion at him as he stepped closer. "However, I do believe that there is a great deal that we still have to discuss."

"Yeah? Like what?" InuYasha muttered suspiciously.

"For starters, we'd like to know more about the world our children will be traveling in, their companions," Mrs. Kururugi told them, her eyes narrowing. "As well as the dangers they'll be facing."

"Yes. And I'd also like to make it very clear that I expect you and your friends to take good care of our children," Mr. Kururugi told them, his features hardening, a dangerous glint showing in his eyes. "And to warn you about what will happen if any harm should befall them because of you."

"Dad…" Kaname groaned.

"Hey! Nobody's gonna get hurt while I'm around!" InuYasha growled, his normal temperament returning. "So you don't have to go around, threatening anyone. Got it?"

"A threat? No, that wasn't a threat, InuYasha. Merely a promise," Mr. Kururugi muttered darkly. "A promise I _can _and _will_ keep, if need be." A pentagram then spun into existence at his feet, releasing his Wind Shikigami. "Oh, overflowing blue sky, scatter my enemy to the four winds! Executioners of the Blue Sky!"

"Executioners…?" Michiru jolted before looking towards his friend. To his horror, he saw that at the four compass points around InuYasha, a shimmering mass of magically stirred air rose up, the wind flowing off of them giving them impression of a massive blade. Before either he or the half-demon could say or do anything, the four blades shot forth, slashing through InuYasha and sending him flying into the air.

"_InuYasha!"_ Kagome and Kaname cried out as one, watching in shock as the half-demon tumbled to the floor.

"Oh, my goodness! Are you alright?" Mrs. Higurashi cried out as she came to his side, with the twins and her own children close behind.

"InuYasha, hang on!" Michiru cried out, invoking his own Shikigami. "Oh, mighty flowing river, give me your blessing! Great River Blessing!"

Watching the tattered half-demon just long enough to see the healing magic taking hold, his injuries shrinking, Kagome then glowered furiously at Mr. Kururugi. "Hey! What's the big idea, doing something like that? You could have _killed him!"_

"Killed him? No, not a half-demon. And especially not at the level of power that spell was cast at," Mr. Kururugi assured her as he made his way up to them. Then he looked down at InuYasha, who growled as he met his gaze. "I just wanted to make something _very _clear to all of you; while I accept my children's decision, I expect for you and your friends to watch after them. And that you are to make sure that they come home safely." Then he narrowed his eyes sharply, and added, "Because if they do get hurt, and I learn that it was because of you…then you will have to deal with me again. And I promise you, I will be fighting with my _full _power."

Huffing breath after breath as his injuries healed, InuYasha glowered at the Kururugi patriarch. His eyes burned as he met the gaze of his attacker. Several seconds passed, and Michiru was certainly that blows were soon to follow…until he saw his friend grinning dangerously. "Yeah…you're a Kururugi, alright. You might _look_ weak and helpless…but you're anything but," he growled as his injuries faded away completely. "And like I said before; _nobody's_ getting hurt while I'm around. Got that?"

Mr. Kururugi studied the half-demon for a while longer before nodding. "I believe you," he told him before extending his hand. InuYasha took it in his own, and rose up to his feet. "Now, why don't we sit down and talk for a while?"

"Sure," InuYasha muttered, looking at Mr. Kururugi with newfound respect. Something that had the others staring in dumbstruck confusion.

"And at the same time, we can also talk about your methods of making a point," Mrs. Higurashi muttered crossly. "Just so you know, I don't allow fighting in this house."

"I'm sorry about that," Mrs. Kururugi told her, clearly a bit embarrassed. "My husband can be…a bit impulsive at times."

* * *

After Mr. Kururugi's demonstration of his power, the group slowly settled down into an even conversation. InuYasha and Kagome were properly introduced to Michiru and Kaname's parents, and they were told more about their mission to track down the Shikon Jewel Shards and destroy Naraku. Michiru told them about how Utsugi had brought him to the Feudal Era originally, as well as what had happened with Wyvern and Ryokage. Finally, Michiru had described his efforts to find a way to use the Bone-Eater's Well, and showed his parents the pendants he had created.

"This is quite an achievement, Michiru," his father marveled as he examined one of the pendants Michiru had crafted. "Reminds me of the wind-keys I made way back when."

"Wind-keys?" Kagome asked as everybody there exchanged blank looks.

"The Bone-Eater's Well is not unique in that it is a portal to another world, or rather, a different time," Mr. Kururugi stated. "There have been other magic portals, other doorways to strange realms. When I created the wind-keys, it was to escape another realm that I had fallen into, one where I had many adventures of my own."

"So you used to go back and forth between this world and another, Dad?" Michiru gaped, feeling like his head was going to explode from all the surprises he'd been receiving.

"Used to? I still do!" Mr. Kururugi smiled boldly. "Where do you think I go when I'm taking those long weekends off? Certainly not fishing trips!"

"So…is that how you know about demons and everything?" Kaname wondered nervously. When her father confirmed this, she looked over at where her mother sat. "And what about you, Mom? Did you ever go with Dad to these…other worlds?"

"Sometimes," Mrs. Kururugi admitted mysteriously. "And I even had a few adventures of my own before we even met."

"Indeed. We're going to have to tell you two about our own adventures some time," Mr. Kururugi decided. "Anyway, my friends and I, we love these get-togethers. Catch up on what's been happening, talk about old times, both good and bad, even go out on the occasional mini-adventure." Taking a moment to let this sink in, he gazed at his children with a thoughtful look in his eyes. "In fact, now that you two know about all of this, maybe you'd like to come along with us one of these days. I'm sure Naza and the others would love to meet you."

"That does sound like fun," Michiru admitted, growing curious as to what kind of adventures his parents had had, the friends they had made. "By then, Kaname and I will have some adventures of our own to talk about"

"Excellent!" Mr. Kururugi decided as his wife smiled, the both of them looking very pleased with the idea.

"And speaking of friends…I just had an idea," Mrs. Higurashi started, looking almost surprised with herself. "Kagome, why don't you invite your friends over here for dinner?"

"My friends?" Kagome asked blankly before realizing whom her mother meant. "You mean…Miroku and the others?"

"Why not? When I realized this was going to take some time, I decided to just order out, and I made sure to order plenty for everybody. If they want, they can even spend the night here," Mrs. Higurashi teased, as if she had planned on doing this the entire time. "Besides, you've told me all kinds of stories about your friends, and I'd like to be able to meet them at least once."

"But…" Kagome sputtered, unsure of what to say.

"Eh, why not?" InuYasha chimed in, looking almost amused by the thought. "Besides, thanks to Michiru's pendants, they should be able to pass through the well like the rest of us, right?"

"I guess so. They worked for us going both ways, so I can't see why they wouldn't work for the rest of them," Michiru decided. "Tell you what, Kagome, I'll go with you and get the others!"

"Well…okay!" Kagome quickly agreed as she and Michiru got to their feet. "I guess it would be kind of interesting, having everybody over for dinner!" With that, the two of them dashed outside and reentered the shrine that housed the Bone-Eater's Well. After taking a moment to panic that the pendants might not work a second time, Michiru leapt into the well, followed closely by Kagome. His worries were unfounded, for once again they were engulfed by the ancient magic of the well, and were carried back to rejoin the others.

As soon as Michiru and Kagome climbed out of the Well, they found all of their friends waiting there for them. "So, how things go with your parents?" Sango asked hopefully. "Were you able to work things out with them?"

"Work out? Work out? Sango, everything's fantastic!" Michiru enthused. "Oh, there's just so much to tell you, all of you!"

"Come on, Michiru! That can wait for now!" Kagome insisted. "Let's get back home! I don't want to keep everybody waiting!"

"Right," Michiru agreed, taking out some of the pendants from his pockets and presenting them to the others. "Kagome's mom is inviting us over for dinner, as well as to stay over for the night. Would you all like to come?"

"What?" Shippo gaped, staring at the pendants "Does that mean we can use the pendants to visit Kagome's world as well?"

"I don't see why not," Michiru answered with a shrug. "After all, they worked for me, Kaname, and Sota! I don't see any reason why they wouldn't work for you as well!"

"Alright!" Shippo laughed as the little fox-demon snatched one of the pendants and put it on. "Come on, Kagome! Let's go!"

"Okay, Shippo!" Kagome smiled, following as Shippo leapt straight into the well. Michiru looked after them, saw the flash of light that signified that the Well had indeed carried the two of them forward in time.

"Sango? Miroku?" Michiru asked hopefully, focusing on the woman he loved. "Would you like to come as well?"

"Uh…sure!" Sango said, accepting two of the pendants, placing one about her neck, then giving the other to Kirara.

"Indeed. It would be very rude to refuse such a kind invitation, and I must admit to being curious about Lady Kagome's world as well," Miroku stated as he placed his pendant about his neck. Though he smiled at this, Michiru had half-hoped Miroku would refuse. Despite everything, it was still painful for him to watch the two of them being together. Still, he refused to let his jealousy ruin this pleasant time together, and as one, the three of them leapt into the well.

The moment they were released into the present, Miroku let out a fierce groan of pain, dropping his staff so he could grab his right forearm. "Miroku! What is it?" Sango asked, her face lighting up with alarm.

"I…I'm not sure!" Miroku replied in fear. Panic in his eyes, the monk removed the cloth that covered up his Wind Tunnel, and as he stared at the palm of his cursed right hand, he gasped in shock. The rest of them were also stunned by what they saw; before their eyes, the Wind Tunnel quickly grew smaller and smaller, the dark void soon fading into extinction with a final gasp of wind.

"The Wind Tunnel disappeared!" Shippo yelped, his eyes as wide as was physically possible.

"But how's that possible?" Sango wondered. "Naraku's still alive, so why…?"

"No, Sango, Naraku isn't alive," Michiru instantly realized. "Remember, we're now five hundred years away from Naraku and all of his evil. He has no power in this world!"

"Of course!" Miroku exclaimed, seemingly stunned by this. "Naraku can't be in both worlds at the same time, so if I'm in this world and he's back in our time, then…!"

"As far as the Wind Tunnel is concerned, it's exactly as if Naraku had died," Kagome breathed, her eyes widening with excitement.

"Does this mean the Wind Tunnel is gone for good?" Shippo asked hopefully, his little eyes beaming brightly.

Sighing, Miroku looked up from his hand and shook his head. "As much as I'd like to believe otherwise, I doubt it's that simple," he muttered somberly. "After all, Naraku has dispelled my Wind Tunnel in the past in order to create the illusion that he was dead. More likely, we when return…"

"The Wind Tunnel will return as well," Sango completed, her expression saddening at this realization.

"Don't worry, Sango," Miroku said, trying to reassure her. "I'd say this is the first hopeful sign we've had since his return. This, more than anything, proves that Naraku will someday be defeated."

"But…" Sango started.

"Miroku's right, Sango," Michiru agreed, smiling as much for Miroku and the others as much as he was for her. "Besides, I have faith in all of us! Even if we have to kill him a dozen times over, we will bring down Naraku once and for all!"

"Yeah, that's right!" Shippo agreed as Kagome smiled broadly.

Smiling shyly, Sango replied, "Thank you, everyone. Anyway, we'd better get out of this Well or everybody will start wondering what's taking us so long!" With that, she approached the rope ladder and took a step up it.

Just then, an ugly thought popped into Michiru's mind. "Uh, Sango?" he started, looking over at Miroku, whose eyes were fixed on the Demon Slayer. "Maybe you and Kagome should go up last."

"What do you mean, Michiru?" Miroku politely protested, barely looking away from Sango's posterior. "After all, a gentleman always lets the ladies go first."

"Oh, I see," Shippo stated, giving Miroku a dirty look. Kagome and Sango soon got it as well, and were shooting dirty looks of their own.

"Whatever are all of you talking about?" Miroku wondered, oozing false innocence. "Do you actually believe I would take advantage of the situation and try and look up your dresses?" Shaking his head in dismay, the monk smiled and put a look of sage wisdom on his face. "Honestly, what kind of person would do something as sneaky as that?"

With missing a beat, Sango sourly declared, "Anybody who'd ask a ten-year-old girl to bear his child is capable of anything."

Michiru whipped his head about at that. "He didn't."

"He did," the girls and Shippo said as Miroku protested in vain.

"And here I thought that even _you_ had your limits, Miroku," Michiru stated, eyes narrowed in disdain as he marched up behind the monk. "You're _definitely_ going up first!"

"Come on! I've told you before, I never laid a finger on her!" Miroku continued as Michiru practically shoved him up the ladder.

"So why is it we don't believe you?" Sango growled unhappily, watching the world's most lecherous monk head up the ladder. All the while Michiru, on a deep, dark level he barely acknowledged the existence of, once again asked what Sango could ever see in such a perverted sleazeball.

Before long, they were exiting the Well, and once she was out, Kagome led the way with Shippo clinging to her back. Michiru could easily hear the little fox-demon gasp in surprise as they left the Shrine. "Everybody! Come and look at this!" Shippo called out. "You're not going to believe it!"

Frowning somewhat, Sango led the way to the door, only to stop in mid-step as soon as she had passed through it. "My…word…" the warrior woman breathed as she, Miroku, and Kirara took their first look at the modern world. "I know InuYasha said it was very different, but _this…!_"

"Yes," Miroku agreed, startled himself by the many changes that had happened in five hundred years. "I can't even begin to imagine what other changes the world has been through."

"Come one, you two," Michiru encouraged them, looking at Kagome as she and Shippo signaled for them all to come along. "This is just a quick visit, right?" Coming up alongside Sango, he took her hand in his own as he took in her beauty. "We're all here to just relax and have a good time together."

Shaking off her shock, Sango smiled and nodded. "You're right, Michiru. Let's just relax for tonight," she gently spoke. "Besides, there's no Naraku in this world, so what could happen?"

* * *

That night together was anything but dull. Buyo got in a minor tussle with Kirara, one that ended when the demon cat transformed. One snarl from the two-tail in battle-mode was all it took to send the lazy cat dashing off to find a safe shelter behind Kagome. Meanwhile, Sota and Shippo were becoming fast friends while Miroku was sharing some of the finer points of preparing sacred sutras with Grandpa. Kaname was busy talking with InuYasha, while Mrs. Higurashi was in a deep discussion with Mr. and Mrs. Kururugi about their adventurous children. As for Sango, she was off by herself in the corner of the living room, obviously in deep thought.

Upon seeing the state the woman he loved was in, Michiru frowned and carefully approached her. "Is something wrong, Sango?" Michiru asked tentatively, watching for any sign of distress.

"Not really," Sango answered as she looked out the window. At a world that was so alien to her as to be a completely different planet.

"I'm sorry, it's just that you've been acting strange ever since we got here," Michiru noted with concern. Swallowing nervously, he stepped closer to her and said, "I know this world is awfully different from your home, but it's not a bad place."

"It's not that," Sango reassured him, finally turning her gorgeous eyes in his direction. "I was just thinking about something."

As he looked at her, considering everything that had happened in recent times, Michiru nodded. He was good at math, and as far as he was concerned, this equation was a no-brainer. "You're thinking about how coming here broke the connection between Miroku and Naraku," he stated, what Sango was thinking as plain as day for somebody who knew her. "You're wondering if that would also work for Kohaku."

"No!" Sango protested, whipping about to look at Michiru. The pain she felt showing through as clear as day. Then she tightened her lips together, looking more delicate as she lowered her eyes. "I mean…I don't want Kohaku to have to stay in this world forever. But…maybe…"

"Maybe we could hide Kohaku here?" Michiru guessed as he sat down next to her. "At least until Naraku is destroyed?"

Sango was silent for several seconds before speaking again. "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it," she admitted with deep sadness. "I've come so close to getting him back before, and every time, Naraku has taken him away again." Her eyes moistening, the Demon Slayer met Michiru's gaze. "This time…this time I truly thought we'd succeeded in getting my brother away from him forever."

"What happened, Sango?" Michiru asked, wanting to hear the awful details for himself. "The others said that Kagura and Kanna pulled a sneak attack, but…"

Sighing, Sango just looked even glummer. "Well, a few days after InuYasha and Kagome came back from meeting with that strange lord, we'd stopped at an inn for the night," Sango slowly explained, looking as if the memories themselves were agonizing. "We'd just found another Jewel Shard, and after dinner, we were all…happy, relaxed…"

"Sango, if you don't want to talk about this, you don't have to," Michiru stated, sensing that they were getting onto difficult ground for her.

"No, it's okay. You deserve to know what happened." Sango smiled grimly. She then proceeded to tell Michiru the full details of how the compass activated itself, and led them to Kanna. Of how Naraku had announced his return through Kohaku, and respawned himself from Kanna's body. And finally, how he had abducted Kohaku and left Sango and the others forced to defend the village from Kagura.

"I still can't believe that Kanna and Kagura are still alive!" Michiru muttered, shaking his head as he spoke. Then he frowned as something else occurred to him. "But…there's something I don't get. Why couldn't any of you detect Kanna without the compass?" A quizzical noise sounded in Sango's throat as he shrugged his confusion. "I mean, Kanna may be a demon, but she's still there, she still exists! So how come you couldn't sense her?"

"Kanna is the embodiment of 'void', Michiru. She doesn't give off any demon power, no scent, no anything. The only way to find her is with your eyes," Sango explained slowly. "Fortunately, the compass could sense her easily. Somehow, it reacted to her presence and warned Kagome that she was coming."

"I see." Michiru nodded. Then he placed his hand on the warrior woman's shoulder, conveying as much comfort as he could. "Oh, Sango, I'm so sorry! I'd have returned sooner, but I had to train Kaname in the use of her powers! If only I'd known…!" Shaking his head in sorrow, Michiru then focused his grey-blue eyes on Sango's face saddened face. "Were any of you hurt?"

"Thankfully, we all got out of there fine. Naraku had been planning on taking us by surprise with Kanna, leaving us wide open. All we got were a few cuts and bruises, and none of the people in the village were hurt, either." There was silence between the two of them for a time. Then, fumbling for words, Sango said, "Michiru…after you returned home, Kohaku…he wanted to apologize."

"Apologize? For what?" Michiru asked, puzzled by this statement.

"He remembered…how he'd hurt you when he was being controlled by Naraku," Sango told him. "He felt so terrible, and wanted to say he was sorry."

Michiru just looked at her, looked at the girl who looked too delicate for battle, too strong to be believed, and simply too wonderful for words, and smiled. "Don't worry, Sango. I know Naraku was responsible for what happened, and besides, the wounds healed up okay. I don't even have any scars."

"Really?" Sango asked, looking surprised.

"Really! Here, have a look!" Michiru said, raising his shirt just enough to show the section of his flank that had been slashed by Kohaku's chain-and-sickle.

"Amazing," Sango smiled, looking at the flesh that showed no signs of the brutal treatment it had received. "The medicine from your world is very effective."

Pulling his shirt back down, Michiru went on. "Besides, Kohaku will have his chance to say whatever he wants. We'll get him back, Sango. I promise you we will."

"Thank you," Sango spoke tenderly. "It's good to have you back, Michiru."

"It's great to _be_ back," Michiru assured her. Before he could say anything else, Mrs. Higurashi appeared from the kitchen, and let them know that dinner had arrived. Looking up in surprise at her, and wincing as InuYasha leapt into the dining room, he then looked at the woman he loved. "We better get going. I mean…knowing InuYasha..."

"Yeah, I know," Sango nodded, long past familiar with the half-demon's infamous appetite. As the two of them stood, however, she looked the Shikigami User in the eyes. "Michiru?" Returning her gaze, he watched as the shields she had erected around her emotions crumbled just the tiniest bit, and let a hint of fear escape. "Please…be careful. I don't…I don't want to lose you again."

Looking the Demon Slayer in the eyes, Michiru placed his hands on her shoulders. "Don't worry, Sango," he told her, meaning every word. "I'm going anywhere. Not this time."

Her cheeks coloring, Sango looked into Michiru's eyes. "Thank you," she murmured as she returned her embrace. The two of them drawing closer, closer…

"Hey, you two! Come on!" Kagome called out, shattering the moment and startling them both back to the real world. Her cheeks burning, Sango pretty much flew from Michiru's embrace and turned towards the modern priestess. "You two better get in here before InuYasha helps himself to everything!"

"We're coming, Kagome!" Sango responded, darting towards the dining room. Startled by how quickly the moment had been lost, Michiru looked after her for a time before letting out a heavy sigh and following. Completely unaware of the glare Kagome leveled at him as he passed her.

* * *

"Ahhh…" InuYasha growled happily as he lay back on the floor, massaging his stomach. "Damn, that was good!"

"You said it!" Shippo agreed. Like InuYasha, he was lying next to the table, completely prone after stuffing himself to full capacity. "Oh, I'm so full…!"

"That was quite a delicious meal, Mrs. Higurashi," Miroku said appreciatively, wiping his mouth and acting like the perfect gentleman.

_I swear, he must practice that routine in front of a mirror,_ Michiru thought, rolling his eyes as he finished up his own dinner. The annoyance he had felt upon learning that Miroku had once gone after a ten-year-old girl still with him as looked at the monk.

"Thank you, but I can't take any of the credit," Mrs. Higurashi protested. "After all, I didn't cook any of this. I just had it delivered."

"Still, we do thank you for your generosity," Miroku insisted pleasantly. "Kagome is certainly fortunate to have such a wonderful mother."

"Don't even think it, Miroku," Kagome muttered, a hint of irritation in her voice.

"Think what?" Miroku asked incredulously. "I am a monk in service to Buddha! I would never approach a woman that was already spoken for!"

Unable to help himself, Michiru gave the monk a dirty look. "I'm sorry, Miroku, but when it comes to you and beautiful women, we can't take any chances. As I've said before, you'll go after anything that's female, attractive, and has a pulse." Then he stabbed viciously at one of the few morsels left on his plate and added, "And I'm not too sure about that bit about the pulse."

"Now that wasn't very nice, Michiru," Mrs. Higurashi admonished.

"That's alright, Mrs. Higurashi," Miroku smiled, waving aside her concerns. "After all, jealousy is a very human weakness. Nothing to get upset over."

"I'm not –!" Michiru started, only to frown unhappily. He had been so close to Sango before, so wonderfully close, only to have the moment spoiled. That, coupled with his irritation over the way Miroku had used his favorite pickup line on his sister, right in front of Sango and without care for her feelings, weren't improving his opinion of the monk and his lechery. "I…that is…" he tried again, the words coming with difficulty. "I…I'm sorry, Miroku. I…apologize."

"Apology accepted, Michiru. To acknowledge one's errors is a sign of being quite mature," Miroku stated in a sagely manner. "Actually, it's rather refreshing to deal with someone so honest about his feelings."

"Well, now that that is settled, I'd better take care of these dishes," Mrs. Higurashi told them, cleaning up after them like the perfect hostess she was. "Now, if you'd like anything else, just let me know, okay?" There was an assortment of thank-yous as she took the dishes to the kitchen.

"Would you care for some help?" Miroku asked, following Mrs. Higurashi just inside the kitchen door. "After all, we are indebted to you for your hospitability."

"There's no need for that! After all, you are our guests," Mrs. Higurashi said as she loaded the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. "But thank you for the offer." As soon as she was done putting the detergent in, she closed the dishwasher, starting it up before she left the kitchen.

"Now, that's odd…" Miroku mused as Sango noticed him and came over to where he was standing, followed by Shippo.

"What is it, Miroku?" Shippo asked.

"Mrs. Higurashi strikes me as a very neat and organized woman, would you not agree?" Miroku asked rhetorically. "Then why on Earth would she simply stuff her dirty dishes away in that strange cabinet?"

"What?" Shippo wondered, approaching the dishwasher in disbelief.

"You're right, that is strange," Sango agreed, and she and Miroku approached the dishwasher, staring at it in confusion. "Look, there's a light on this door."

"Indeed. I wonder what this thing is?" Miroku pondered.

"Let's open it up and find out!" Shippo decided, leaping up to the handle. However, no matter how he strained, he could not budge the handle. "I…I can't get it open!" he groaned, soon falling to the floor.

"That's odd. I saw no sign that Mrs. Higurashi had locked it," Miroku mused.

"Wait a minute, Miroku," Sango said, bending down beside the dishwasher. "There's some kind of sound coming from inside of this thing."

"Hey, you're right!" Shippo said, putting his ear to the dishwasher's door. "Well, it doesn't sound like it's eating the dishes. But what's it doing?"

Miroku also put his ear to the door, humming thoughtfully. "It sounds like there's water being splashed in there, or perhaps some other liquid."

"Hey!" came Kaname's voice, causing the three of them to fall over in surprise. "What are you three doing? Is there something wrong with the dishwasher?"

"Dishwasher?" the three of them echoed in confusion.

Blinking her eyes several times, Kaname then smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I keep forgetting you don't know how things work in our world!" Kaname explained. "That thing is a machine that washes dishes."

"You mean…it is some kind of magic?" Miroku asked, eyeing the dishwasher with more interest.

"No, it's not magic. It's a machine," Kaname explained. However, as the three of them looked at her with blank expressions, Kaname found herself somewhat flustered. "It's like…oh, I know! It's like the recorder my brother gave to Kagome before? The one that had that message on it?"

"Oh, I get it!" Shippo responded, his face bursting with enthusiasm. "Like the camera Kagome has!"

"That's right!" Kaname smiled.

"That explains why Mrs. Higurashi didn't need help in doing the dishes. She has a machine that does it for her," Miroku spoke with a slight nod. "Are these things common, Kaname?"

"Of course!" Kaname assured him. "Lots of people have them."

"I see. Thank you ever so much for explaining," Miroku said, walking up to Kaname. "You've been most helpful."

"Uh…um…you're welcome," Kaname sputtered, blushing as Miroku placed his hands upon her shoulders.

"Yeah, thanks," Sango said, a painful stab hitting her heart, and with that she left the kitchen.

"Sango…!" Kaname started, watching the Demon Slayer retreat. "Oh, no, what've I done now…?"

* * *

Author's Notes: Well, it looks like Michiru and Kaname's parents won't be as much of a problem as we might have thought, now does it? But Miroku's horniness is bound to cause plenty of trouble before everything is said and done! Please, read and review! And check out my other stories, please?

By the way, that part about Miroku asking a ten-year-old girl to bear his child? I wasn't making that up! Her name is Koharu, and she appeared in the episode 'Kagura's Dance and Kanna's Mirror'. That mess is yet another reason why Miroku has a permanent spot on my Bad List!


	11. Demons, Demons, Everywhere

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Chapter 11: Demons, Demons, Everywhere…

As Sango marched away from the kitchen, making a point of not looking back, she wandered about the unfamiliar house until she reached the door she had entered it through. Looking out a nearby window, she saw the Shrine which housed the Bone-Eater's Well. For the longest time, she considered rushing over there and jumping back down and returning to her own world and time. If only to put a distance of five hundred years between herself and Miroku.

_Why? Why does it hurt so much to watch him do these things?_ Sango demanded of herself, walking up to a wall and smack her fists against it. _Why do I keep letting Miroku get under my skin this way? _But even as she asked herself these questions, she found that she already knew the answer; because she felt so alone, even in her own time.

When the Demon Slayer Village had been destroyed, Sango had not just lost her home, her family. She had lost her entire way of life. Everything she had known and loved, everything that meant anything to her, all of it, completely gone. And it was because of this when, after the battle that had cost her family and had allowed Naraku to claim Kohaku, on the verge of death, and tricked into believing that InuYasha had been responsible for the slaughter, she had wanted nothing more than to die. To go out, fight one last battle for the sake of those she had lost, for vengeance…before joining them in death.

But things had not been that simple. Instead, the enemy responsible for the slaughter had proven to be Naraku, an elusive monstrosity that thwarted their every attempt to take his miserable, cowardly life. And during that time, after Sango had been rescued by InuYasha and the others, her body given a chance to heal…she still felt as if she had no real life left to her.

There were other Demon Slayers, other villages out there, to be sure. And Sango did have some good friends amongst them. But nothing that could replace what had been taken from her. And even then, she felt as if she couldn't go to any of them. Naraku was her problem, her enemy. The only people she felt she could trust to help her had been those for whom Naraku was also their enemy. People like InuYasha, Kagome…and Miroku.

Of the original members of that group, Sango had always felt closest to Miroku, despite his lechery. His family had been destroyed, cursed by Naraku, and he had very personal reasons for wanting to destroy the vile demon. And most importantly, he had been good to her when she needed him to be. Had buried her family, and on more than one occasion, had risked his life for her sake.

But at the same time, as much as Miroku had been there for her, he had also been off on his own, indulging in his own selfishness. This had been bad enough when he lived in fear of his Wind Tunnel curse, but in the time after Utsugi's death and Michiru's disappearnace, when all of them had believed that the monster was finally gone for good, Miroku had been much more active in his pursuit of beautiful women. During their quest to retrieve the Shikon Jewel Shards, Sango had born witness to several of his's attempts to garner attention from women, everything from his fake fortunetelling to sweet-talking a girl he happened upon on the streets. All of which he was quick to defend as being his duty as a monk in service to Buddha.

Sango truly hated thinking of these things. She hated thinking of the many times Miroku had asked a girl to bare his child, of how quick he was to cozy up with an attractive female or feel them up or spy on them while they were taking a bath. She hated thinking of these things because they made her question other things. Things such as his feelings for her…and her feelings for him.

_Where does it end, Miroku?_ Sango asked bitterly. _Where do all your games and manipulations and cons end?_ Punctunating this question with another smack on the wall, she stood there, alloing her emotions to run their course, all of them buried beneath the surface. And as she did so, they began to change.

Emotions much more recent began to come into play, bringing to light thoughts of someone else. Someone else who had held her, journeyed with her, comforted her, and protected her with his life. Someone that she'd known for a relatively short time, had been an outsider that had come and left them so suddenly. And somehow, in the span of a few months, he had found his way into her heart and taken up an ever larger part of it. Had found his way into her dreams, and haunted her when she was awake.

As she lost heself in these thoughts, she was brought to the real world when that person gently asked, "Sango? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, you took off so suddenly!" came a second voice. Turning about, Sango found herself looking at Michiru and Kagome.

"Oh…I'm sorry, you two," Sango murmured bashfully. Shoving all of her worries and concerns into the back of her mind, she smiled and said, "I…just needed a little space, that's all."

"Sure, not problem!" Kagome nodded. Then she gave the Demon Slayer an infectious smile and jerked her thumb at the staircase behind her. "Say, I have an idea! Now that dinner's over, why don't you have a nice bath?"

Blinking a few times, Sango frowned as she looked upstairs. "A bath? But…how do you get the water up there? Do you have to carry it, or…?"

"No, no! It's nothing like that!" Kagome assured her, laughing somewhat. Frowning and getting the feeling that she had something stupid, Sango waited as her friend composed herself. "There's pipes and stuff that move water all throughout the house!"

"That's right, Sango," Michiru confirmed. "You…you could say that the house moves the water for you. And it heats it, too."

"It…it does?" Sango frowned, feeling even more confused before realization hit her. "Oh, right. You mean…like for that…dishwasher you have in the kitchen?"

"Yeah, that's right," Kagome confirmed. "Anyway, it's been a few days, so I figured you could use a nice, long soak." Then she smiled and added, "And maybe you'll finally let me use some shampoo on that hair of yours!"

Groaning hesitantly, Sango found herself oddly torn. On the one hand, she liked the idea of having a bath. But at the same time, there was still so much about this world that was strange and unfamiliar. And the idea of using that odd-smelling lotion that Kagome used made her that much more uncertain. "I…I dunno," she finally muttered. "I…it's been a long day, and…"

"Yeah, I know," Michiru noted somberly.

"It sure has," Kagome agreed. "But once we get on the road, it might be a long time before we have a chance to take a real hot bath, Sango."

This got Sango's attention. "A hot bath?" she repeated, more than a bit surprised by this. "You mean…this house makes the water hot, too?"

"That's right!" Kagome confirmed while Michiru nodded. "So what do you say, Sango? If you like, I can show you how everything works!"

Frowning somewhat, Sango considered the matter. While she was still somewhat uncertain, the idea of enjoying a nice, long, hot soak was a temping one. And it was obvious that neither Michiru or Kagome were concerned about these modern devices of theirs. "Well…okay," she finally decided. "I'm not sure about the shampoo, but…I guess I could use a bath."

"Okay!" Kagome grinned, already heading towards the stairs.

As soon as Kagome was gone, Sango asked, "Say, Michiru…is it true that shampoo really makes your hair shinier?"

"Yes," Michiru assured her. Then his cheeks colored as he lowered his gaze. "But…I have to admit, Sango, it's…it's hard to imagine your hair being more beautiful than it already is."

At these words, a compliment that wasn't tainted by manipulation or excessive flattery, was something that was said because it happened to be true, Sango's cheeks colored as well. "Uh…thank you, Michiru…"

"Yeah…" Michiru nodded. Then he frowned and looked towards one of the other rooms. "Listen, I better get going. Mom and Dad are going home for the night."

Starting at this, Sango frowned and asked, "Then…will they be coming to say goodbye tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Dad said that he just wanted to get a few things for me and Kaname before we leave," Michiru explained. "Still…once we're back on the road again, it might be a while before I see them again, so…"

As the modern magician hesitated, Sango smiled her appreciation. "I understand," she told him, meaning every word. Knowing full well of how much she would have liked to say goodbye to her loved ones from her own villages, to say things that will never be said now in this life. "In that case, you better get going."

"Right. Thanks, Sango," Michiru told her before starting away.

Once again marveling at the Shikigami User, at how easily he had found a permanent place in her heart, Sango made her way upstairs. Despite the many differences between Kagome's home and houses in the Feudal Era, the Demon Slayer was still able to find her way without difficulty, thanks to the sound of running water. Frowning at the sound which seemed horribly out of place in a house, she shrugged and kept going until she found an open door.

"There you are, Sango!" Kagome grinned, standing at the side of a large, white trough that was being filled with water spilling forth from some kind of spout. And judging by the steam rising up from it, it was most certainly hot. "I was wondering what was keeping you!"

Catching herself staring at yet another bizarre artifact of the modern world, Sango forced her attention onto Kagome. "Sorry. I just wanted to talk to Michiru for a moment, that's all," she told her friend. Then she looked at the tub, and slowly shook her head as it filled up. "I don't think I'll _ever _get used to your world, Kagome…"

"Yeah, well…sometimes, I feel the same way about the Feudal Era," Kagome confessed before moving to the spout. When she twisted a strange knob next to it, the flow of water slackened, and finally ceased. "So…are you ready?"

A moment passed as Sango studied the tub. There didn't seem to be anything dangerous about it in and of itself. And she had to admit, the hot water was looking more and more tempting by the moment. "Okay. Just give me a moment to undress," the Demon Slayer replied, already shedding her kimono. As she let it fall, she looked back at the door and frowned. "Ummm…is there anyway to lock this door. I…"

"Don't want a certain someone coming to peep at you?" Kagome concluded with a rueful chuckle. "No problem." With that, she went over to the door and closed it, twisting some kind of latch once it was closed. She then made a show of pulling on the door's handle, making it clear that it was securely locked.

"Thanks, Kagome," Sango smiled before continuing to undress. Once the last of her clothes fell to the floor, the Demon Slayer carefully dipped her foot in the water. To her immense satisfaction, in was indeed nice and hot. Soon afterwards, she slid the rest of her form into the tub, and let out a sigh of relief at the way the water soothed her body. "I have to admit, this is one thing about your world I could get to like."

"C'mon, we haven't even gotten to the best part!" Kagome beamed as she held up a bottle of shampoo. "Now, just sit back and relax…and let me at that hair of yours!"

Blushing somewhat, Sango considered the bottle for a time. "Um…" she hesitated, only to flash back to her conversation with Michiru before. At how he clearly thought of her as being beautiful, at the way he had told her he loved her. How he had told her this and more, all without any expectation of his feelings be reciprocated, and all because they _were_ his feelings.

As she thought of these things, for some reason, Sango found herself wanting to look her best. Which is why she blushed and decided, "Well…okay. But not too much of it!"

"No problem!" Kagome grinned before opening up the bottle and letting a small amount of shampoo pour into her hand.

* * *

The next morning, Michiru found himself unable to tear his eyes away from Sango. Whether it when they were going through the motions of waking up to having breakfast or when he and his friends went outside to await his parents returned, there was not a single moment in which he wasn't allowing his eyes to feast on the Demon Slayer's beauty.

_Just when I thought she couldn't be even more beautiful…_ Michiru thought dreamily as they stood outside, the sun flashing in the highlights of Sango's lustrous hair. Hair that flowed and curled in the breeze like liquid metal.

As Michiru watched as the hair seemed to wave at him, daring him to come and bury his face in it, a familiar voice called for his attention "Hey, Michiru?" Shippo piped up from right next to him. Jumping somewhat, the Shikigami User manaed to tear one eye away from Sango to noticed the inquisitive fox-demon. "Watcha looking at?"

_A dream that I want to take in my arms and kiss and love and hug forever,_ Michiru found himself thinking. But deciding that the fox-demon might not understand the seamier aspects of life, he did his best to downplay it. "Uh, nothing. I was just...looking at Sango, you know? I…I think she did something different with her hair, and…"

"Oh, you noticed it, too, huh?" Shippo smiled as Michiru returned his full focus on the beauteous Demon Slayer. "Yeah, Kagome spent last night helping Sango with her hair. It really is shiny now, isn't it?" The little fox-demon paused, then asked, "Say, do you think Kagome would be willing to help me with my hair?"

"Hmm?" Michiru paused, really not wanting to be distracted. "Uh, sure. Sure. I bet she would."

"Yeah. I think…Michiru!" Shippo cried out with a bit more heat. "Are you even paying any attention to me?"

"Uh…yeah, Shippo," Michiru replied, reluctantly depriving one eye of its view of Sango again. "I…guess I'm a bit distracted."

"Yeah. And I bet I know why!" Shippo smirked in knowing fashion.

"I think the entire world knows by now, Shippo!" Now it was both eyes that were forced away from Sango as Kaname entered Michiru's line of sight. "Be careful, bro. I don't think it would be a good idea to let Sango see you drooling over her!"

"Huh?" Michiru gaped, his mind completely overwhelmed by the horror of such a scenario. He hurriedly wiped his mouth as he faced flushed. "I…I didn't realize I -!"

Lauging at Michiru's humiliation, Kaname assured him, "Relax, bro. I was exaggerating…though not by much." Enjoying this moment for a bit longer, his twin cocked her head to the side. "Anyway, sorry I have to drag you back from Cloud 9, but I thought someone should let you know that Mom and Dad just got here!"

If Kaname's teasing remark had sent a rush of horror through him, this last statement was like a bucket of water over Michiru's head. With immense difficulty, he pushed Sango out of the center of his mind, and focused it elsewhere. Sure enough, their parents had arrived, and were meating and greeting with the others as they made their over to the twins.

A bit embarrassed that he had been so lost in looking at Sango that he hadn't even noticed his parents' arrivel, Michiru focused on them and smiled. "Hi, Mom, Dad."

"Hello, you two!" Mrs. Kururugi beamed as she took her children in her arms. "Oh…I can't believe you're really doing this…!"

"Aw, Mom…" Kaname murmured as she lost herself in the loving embrace.

"I know, I know. I suppose all children leave their parents, sooner or later," their mother said, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I guess…I was just hoping that you'd put it off for a few more years." Somehow managing to tear herself away from them, she looked at her children with pride. "But…I guess life is never really that simple."

"It certainly wasn't for us," their father agreed, pulling open a tote bag that hung from his shoulder. "Now, before you go, there are a few things I'd like to give to you." With this, he reached into the bag, and pulled out something out that he then gave to his daughter. "Here you go, Kaname. I noticed that Michiru had one of these already, so I thought it might be a good idea for me to make one for you."

"Wha…a Shikigami Disk?" Michiru gaped as he looked down at the one that hung about his own arm. Despite the obvious usage that shown on his Disk, the two artifacts were identical in appearance. "But…how'd you make it, Dad? I…I looked all over the Shrine for magic scrolls and everything, and I never found the instructions for making one of these!"

"The scroll that gave that information was a little dangerous to just leave in the shrine, Michiru," his father explained. "I found a more…secure place to hide it, along with other materials that were too sensitive to leave lying around. Speaking of which…" Their father then reached back into the bag, and pulled out a homemade book which he handed to his son. "This book holds many secret arts that have been passed down in our shrine for centuries, secrets that I found in the various scrolls. I wrote them down here, in the event that others in our family displayed the powers you and Kaname have discovered. Since you have more experience in using your powers, I'm entrusting you with our legacy. Study the secrets of our family, and use them wisely."

"You can count on me, Dad!" Michiru smiled gratefully.

"Now, there is one last thing that must be done," Mr. Kururugi told them. "During my own adventures, I've mastered many of the different powers of the Shikigami, powers that might come in handy for you two. Please, stand before me and hold out your hands." The twins doing as he told, Mr. Kururugi took their hands in his own. A pentagram spun into existence at his feet, and released his Shikigami to mingle with their own spirit familiars, sharing their powers. In this way, they gained the basic knowledge of the powers he had mastered himself, an instinctive understanding of his own techniques that would quickly lead to them mastering these techniques themselves.

"Oh, thanks, Dad! I feel stronger already!" Kaname grinned, hugging her father happily.

"I know what you mean, Kaname," Michiru agreed, thinking of how Grandma Kakuju had instructed him, how each encounter with the aged priestess had left him with more power and knowledge than before.

"Now, now, you two! That power has always been inside of you! All I've done is make it easier for you to access and channel it," their father explained. "As for the rest, that's all up to you."

Smiling sadly, Mrs. Kururugi looked at her children and said, "I wish I could give you something to help you in battle, like your father has. But…I'm afraid that, right now, all I can give you two is…my love."

"That's okay, Mom," Michiru replied easily. "That's more than enough for me."

"And me, too," Kagome assured her. The two of them welcoming her arms as she hugged them again.

"Take care, our children," Mr. Kururugi told them. "And while you're gone, we'll see about making even more tooks and weapons for you to use."

"Thank you," Michiru replied.

"I promise, we'll be back as soon as we can," Kaname vowed.

"We know you will," Mrs. Kururugi assured them, a fond sadness in her voice. "Now, you better get going. Your friends are waiting for you."

Nodding, Michiru and Kaname looked over at where his friends had gathered. InuYasha, Sango, Kagome, Shippo, Miroku, all of them were watching the Kururugis enjoying this moment as a family before they parted away, perhaps for a long time. "Thanks again!" Michiru called out as Kaname echoed him. "Goodbye!"

"Take care, my children!" Mr. Kururugi called out as he and his wife waved goodbye. "Watch out for each other, and your friends!"

"Be careful!" Mrs. Kururugi seconded as the twins made their way into the Higurashi Shrine. "And come back safely!"

"We will! Promise!" Kaname assured her as they and the others disappeared into the Shrine.

As they made their way down to the Well, Michiru jumped when he heard Shippo say, "Gosh, you two. Your parents…they're really nice, you know that?"

"Yeah, they are," Kaname agreed. "Even if Dad can be a little strict at times!"

"Heh. If you ask me, your old man ain't too bad!" InuYasha chuckled. "He sure knows how to get his point across!"

"And how to scare someone half to death!" Kagome chimed in somewhat crossly. "Seriously, InuYasha! I thought he'd killed you!"

InuYasha gave a loud, harsh snort at this. "Please! I might wind up getting killed by someone stronger than me, but it sure as hell won't be by a human!" While Kagome was rolling her eyes at this, the half-demon smirked and added, "Still, I wouldn't mind going a round with your old man! It'd probably be a pretty interesting fight!"

Not sure if he cared for the image of his father and his friend fighting each other, Michiru decided to try and change the subject. "Well, maybe next time we come back here, you could spend a little time over at our place."

"Really?" Shippo beamed excitedly.

"Sure, why not?" Kaname decided. "After all, Kagome's mom was nice enough to have us over, so…"

"Boy, I'd sure like that!" Shippo told them. Sadness shadowing his features as he added, "It sure has been a long time…since my mom and dad…we…"

Bending down, Michiru leaned over ant patted the fox-demon on the back of his head. "I know, Shippo," he murmured, aware of the tragedy that befell his parents. "I know…" With this said, he looked up and approached the Bone-Eater's Well.

"Well, then, if everybody ready?" Miroku wondered, looking somewhat hesitantly at the Bone-Eater's Well.

"Sure! Let's get going!" InuYasha grinned dangerously. "And when we get Naraku this time, he _ain't _coming back!" With the others seconding this sentiment, the group leapt one-by-one into the Bone-Eater's Well, and towards their destiny.

* * *

The instant the group were released from the magic that transcended time and appeared in the Feudal Era, they all froze as one of their number cried out in pain. "Miroku!" Kagome cried out as the monk fell to his knees, clutching at his right wrist. From a safe distance, the rest of them watched as the cloth that covered his palm parted, revealing that his theory was correct; with Miroku and Naraku in the same world, the Wind Tunnel was reappearing, the generational curse still in force.

"Aw, damn," InuYasha muttered as the others watched sadly. "I guess it was too much to hope for that the damned thing would stay gone!"

"Yes, sadly enough," Miroku nodded. Then he looked at the others, who were already offering him their apologies and condolences. "It is quite alright, everybody," he told them, remaining quiet and self-assured. "We all knew this was very likely the case."

"But, Miroku…!" Sango protested, at a loss for words, as were the rest of them.

"Relax, Sango. We all know this curse is my strongest weapon against our enemies," Miroku stated firmly before studying the abyssal hole in his hand. "Besides, for some reason, the Wind Tunnel seems a bit smaller than it did before we traveled through the well. Perhaps my being apart from Naraku's evil has done more good than we realized."

"You mean it might have bought you more time before the Wind Tunnel…" Kagome murmured hopefully, not even wanting to think of the fate that would be Miroku's, should they fail to kill Naraku in time.

"It's possible. In any case, we had better get out of this Well, seeing as its bit crowded with all of us down in here," Miroku pointed out, deliberately understating the matter. With all seven of them down there at the same time, there wasn't much room left for breathing.

"Ugh! Next time we do this, maybe we should go two at a time, just so we don't get squished!" Michiru commented, something InuYasha agreed with. As he leapt up and out of the cramped Well, not at comfortable with tight spaces, he noticed that Shippo had transformed into a pink blob and floated up to the surface.

As soon as the last of them were out of the Well, Sango looked about at her friends. "Well, now that we're back home, what's our next move?"

"First we should tell Kaede that Michiru and Kaname are going to be coming with us on our journey," Miroku decided. "As for where we go from there…"

"Maybe we should go to Kasasagi Town," Michiru suggested, recalling the nearby town. "It's as a good place as any, and we might hear something about Naraku while we're there."

"I suppose," InuYasha muttered, deciding it didn't matter, one way or the other. "We haven't been there in a while, and it's better than sitting around, waiting for Naraku to make his next move."

While the others were nodding, at this, Kaname was frowning, looking at Kagome in confusion. "Um, excuse me?" she began hesitantly. "Uh, no offense, but…wouldn't it be simpler just to use the compass to find Naraku?"

"Feh!" InuYasha grumbled dangerously. "If it were that simple, believe me, we'd be right in Naraku's face instead of standing around here!"

"He's right," Kagome seconded, looking sadly at the artifact. "I've already tried using the compass to find him, but it's no good. It still works with most demons and Jewel Shards, and we've been able to use it to find three more Jewel Shards, but whenever I try to lock onto Naraku or his incarnations, it doesn't work."

"Why not?" Michiru wondered. "It seemed to work perfectly when we fought Ryokage! And if it worked on Kanna before, then why not on Naraku now?"

"It's not surprising, actually," Miroku answered. "Kohaku knew all about the compass, and he is presently under Naraku's control. I'm sure Naraku was able to use his knowledge to alter his barrier so as to foil the compass's power. And if he has such a barrier around his castle, then it's safe to say that Kagura and Kanna are hidden from the compass as well, so long as they are within it."

Lowering her head in shame, Kaname murmurered, "Oh…sorry. I guess I should've thought of that…"

"Hey, don't get so down about it! Naraku can hide all he wants, that still won't stop us from catching up to him!" InuYasha growled encouragingly. "Compass or no compass, sooner or later, we'll find that bastard, and give him exactly what he deserves!"

As Kaname started perking up again, Kagome commented, "You know, it really is great that your dad let you come with us, Michiru! It's great to have my favorite teacher back!"

"Oh, that's right! Michiru said he used to help you with your math work, Kagome," Kaname remembered. "You know, now that there are three of us, why don't we all study together? After all, I'm pretty good at literature and geography, and my bro's good at math and science. Maybe if we work together, we can keep up on our studies, even here!"

"A study group? Now that's a really great idea!" Kagome smiled, warming to the notion. Slowly but surely, they were conversing easily.

_Damn. It's starting to feel like Michiru never left us!_ InuYasha smiled as he watched the others friends interacting. Grateful to have one of the few people he dared call his friend back and at his side in battle. _And as for Kaname…well, she's a bit nervous, but I'm sure she'll be alright once we get going. A few battles oughta toughen her up, no problem!_

Smiling at his companions, and despite everything that had happened, InuYasha fround himself genuinely looking forward to the journeys that lay ahead.

* * *

It wasn't long before the group's business in Kaede's Village was settled, and they were on their way to Kasasagi town. As they traveled, Michiru found himself enjoying this almost literal trip down memory lane. The sights, the sounds, everything was familiar, comforting.

Everything, that was, except for the demons. And one thing that hadn't changed since the last time Michiru had last journeyed with his friends was that demons would attack anybody who strayed too far away from the protection of a village. About a half an hour into the forest, a pack of ugly, imp-like demons reared their faces.

_Oh, gimme break!_ Michiru groaned as he scrutinized ther pack of nasties with the senses of his Shikigami, detecting the disruptive effect the demonic auras had on the natural forces of the world. _Why are these creeps even bothering? This won't even work up a sweat!_

Unfortunately, Kaname didn't share his confidence. "Uh-oh…" she squirmed, looking in disgust at the little monsters. "G-get away from us…!"

Startled by Kaname's revulsion and fear, InuYasha growled, "Hey, what are you freaking out about? These demons are total nothings!"

"InuYasha!" Kagome grumbled, glaring doom at the half-demon. "Have you already forgotten? Kaname's never been in a fight before! Go easy on her!"

"On the other hand, this does represent an opportunity," Miroku mused as the demons began to move in, snarling viciously.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" InuYasha wondered irritably.

"This seems to me the perfect chance for Kaname to get used to actual combat without actually endangering her," Miroku explained. "Why don't we let her give it try?"

At these words, Kaname jumped and turned towards Miroku, clearly horrified by the idea. "What? Y-you want _me_ to fight these things? All by _myself?"_

Even as his sister panicked, Michiru found himself seein the sense of Miroku's suggestion. It would be much better to get her used to this sort of thing quickly, rather than have her panic at the worst possible time. "Relax, sis, these demons are really weak!" he assured her, smiling his encouragement. "Trust me, you could handle a dozen of them without any trouble!" Her mouth hanging open, Kaname looked at her brother nervously. "Besides, we'll be right here, just in case!"

"Yeah, that's right! Hell, if you can take out a whole building, these little creeps shouldn't give you any trouble!" InuYasha told her. "So just relax and kill those things already!" One by one, the others added their encouragement, and as they did so, Kaname slowly ceased trembling. Eventually, she screwed up her face, drew her sword and moved towards the approaching monsters.

"O-okay, you d-demons!" Kaname stuttered, her sword shaking in her hands. "C-come and –_ ahhh!_" Without warning, the demons decided, enough waiting, it's time for dinner, and charged right at her. Confronted by the encroaching swarm, Kaname panicked and sent a surge of Shikigami power surging into her sword. Bolts of destructive magical power shot out from the sides of the blade as she screamed, the fireballs shot straight at the demons like a rain of shooting stars, incinerating each demon that was unfortunate enough to be hit. Within a matter of seconds, Kaname had single-handedly wiped out each and every one of them.

"Hey, not bad!" InuYasha remarked as they went to Kaname's side. "You did good for a first…" The half-demon cut himself off as they looked at Kaname's face…and started laughing as they realized that she had squeezed her eyes closed during the fight.

"Huh?" Kaname squeaked as the others continued laughing. Realizing that something strange was going on, she slowly forced one of her eyes open. When she was finally able to see that the battle was already over, her face fell in astonishment "What? _That's it?_" she shouted, looking in astonishment at the shreds of dead demons that were now decorating the path. "I mean, I know you said they were weak, but I never thought they could be _that_ weak! I can't believe the people of this time live in fear of things like _this!_"

"To most people, these demons would be deadly, especially when they work together like this, hunting down the poor traveler unfortunate enough to be caught unawares by them," Miroku stated, coming up along Kaname's side. "The fact that you defeated them so easily is merely a reflection of your own strength, and though you were hesitant at first, you should be proud of how well you did today."

"Uh, thank you, Miroku," Kaname replied, beginning to blush. "I really owe my brother for working so hard to train me and everything."

"I'm certain Michiru did his best to help you, but in the end it is up to all of us to help ourselves as well," Miroku stated sagely. "It was your determination to better yourself that is responsible for your victory here, not your brother, nor anyone else."

"Oh, well, um – eeeek!" Kaname squealed, cut off in mid-blush by Miroku stroking her backside.

Stunned by the sight of Miroku contently stroking his sister's posterior, Michiru was momentarily helpless to do anything but feel his blood boil while the monk was commenting thoughtfully. "Hmm, so young, yet already so well-formed! Quite rare and wonderful!"

This statement snapped Michiru free of his paralysis. "Miroku! Keep your hands off my sister!" he snarled, sending several fireballs at the perverted monk.

Warned by Michiru's wrathful voice, Miroku turned about and quickly dodged the simplistic attack. However, he failed to notice Sango, who was quick to slap him hard right across the face. "I don't believe this!" the Demon Slayer snarled as the monk staggered backwards. "Don't you have _any_ shame at all?"

"Now, now, Sango!" Miroku said soothingly, a red welt in the shape of Sango's hand decorating his face. "I was merely making note of Kaname's development for future reference!"

While Michiru was loading up to tell Miroku that he was not to lay a finger on Kaname again if he wanted to remain among the living, Kaname was recovering from her shock. To his astonishment, she was actually smiling at the perverted monk. "Sango, you know…you really shouldn't slap Miroku like that."

"What?" Sango asked, obviously shocked as Kaname went up to Miroku, an innocent smile on her face. This was a smile that he quickly returned, though his own smile was soon cut short.

"Slaps only encourage guys like him," Kaname stated as she swung her sword quickly, the end of it connecting solidly with the point between Miroku's legs where no man wants to be hit. As Miroku collapsed to the ground, tears streaming from his eyes as he groped at the injured point, Kaname smiled even more broadly. "When all else fails, _that_ is the only way to get a guy to back off!"

It was slow at first, but then InuYasha, Sango, and Michiru started laughing hard at Miroku's folly. Kagome was helping the monk to his feet, but she was also smiling while Shippo said, "I guess that's Kaname's version of 'sit'!"

"Now, why didn't I ever think of that before?" Sango wondered, only half-joking as she looked at the pained monk. "Maybe you'll think twice before laying your hands on a pretty girl!"

"Like a friend of mine at school said, girls can be like roses. They're very pretty to look it at, but you should always watch out for the thorns," Michiru noted.

"Huh! You said it!" InuYasha smirked, and soon enough they continued on their way. As for Miroku, he quickly recovered from his not-so-gentle treatment at Kaname's hands, but he was still rather miffed over the incident.

"While I understand your ire, Kaname, the fact remains that you could have done me irreversible harm," Miroku commented as they went along, this time taking care to keep his distance from her. "After all, what would happen if I lost the ability to father a child? My entire family line would instantly be wiped out!"

"We should be that lucky…" InuYasha grumbled.

"Oh, come now! I'm serious!" Miroku complained unhappily. "Don't I have as much right to raise a child of my own as everybody else?"

"I suppose so," Michiru grudgingly agreed. "What you don't have the right to do is go around, grabbing at girls like my sister!"

"My bro's right, Miroku!" Kaname chimed in. "I've gotta tell you, that sort of stunt doesn't appeal to the girls at all!"

"No arguments here," Sango agreed. "You'd think he'd have learned that by now!"

Miroku might have continued to protest, but he recognized a losing battle when he saw when, and soon the group fell into relative silence as they kept their eyes open, and were all on the alert for another sneak attack. Sure enough, there were a few more demons that saw that this group consisted chiefly of humans and thought that it was lunchtime. Kaname, feeling a bit more confident in herself now that she had had her first taste of genuine combat, easily pulled her weight and was soon fighting effectively along with the rest of the group. It was an exulting experience for her, and she was thrilled at how well she was now performing.

"Just be careful not to get overconfident," Sango warned her, having warmed up to Kaname a bit since she had put down Miroku so effortlessly. "Remember, there are all kinds of demons out there, and a lot of them are far more dangerous than these little things, and the worst demons…those are the ones that wear human forms as they walk amongst us."

"Like Naraku," Kaname realized as they all nodded their heads at this. "You know, in a way, that's kind of hard to believe. I mean, I've heard all those horror stories Michiru told me about Naraku, about how cruel and evil he is, and yet…it just feels a bit unreal that anything so horrendous could exist."

"I know, but it's something you're going to have to accept," Kagome said sympathetically.

"By the way, what exactly did Michiru tell you about Naraku, anyway?" InuYasha questioned, taking an interest in the conversation.

"Everything I knew about him," Michiru answered. "I mean, about how he was after the Shikon Jewel, how he slaughtered everybody in the castle, that trap he set for all of us back at his castle, how he'd set up InuYasha and Kikyo to betray each other, everything I could think of!"

"That's right," Kaname confirmed. "Still, it's a little hard to believe…"

"I know how you feel," Sango admitted. "Somehow, I also forget just how monstrous Naraku is, despite everything." Smiling in a self-depreciating manner, she shrugged before saying, "I dunno. I guess there's a part of all of us that simply doesn't want to believe such an evil thing could ever actually be real."

"I guess so," Kaname replied, looking a little uncertain. "I'm sorry, everyone. I didn't mean to slow us up or anything."

"What are you saying? There's nothing for you to be sorry about!" Shippo protested.

"That's right," Kagome told her. "You're just not used to thinking that way. I only hope you don't have to get used to it too quickly."

Smiling wanly at this, Kaname replied, "So do I."

* * *

They got to Kasasagi Town early in the afternoon, and as they looked around, Michiru was once again astounded by the difference between this place and a village such as Kaede's. Instead of a small cluster of simple houses surrounded by fields, Kasasagi town was a much larger, busier place, where the focus of everything was the buying and selling of goods, with merchants and stores everywhere.

"I guess we should split up for now," Kagome decided as she stared at the busy streets. "Hey, Michiru, why don't you go with Kaname? You know the town as well as any of us, and with her being so new to everything, it would be good to have someone she's used to show her around."

"Well…okay, but…" Michiru fumbled, for while he did care deeply for his sister, he already had someone he wanted to pair up with.

Obviously noticing the longing gaze Michiru was casting in Sango's direction, Miroku stepped in. "Good idea, Kagome," the monk smiled sagely. "Meanwhile, Sango and -"

"I'll go with InuYasha, see if we can learn anything," Sango stated firmly. Miroku opened his mouth in protest, only to see that the Demon Slayer wasn't about to change her mind. "Is that alright, with you?"

"Sure, fine by me!" InuYasha decided, looking up in the sky as he folded his arms behind his head. Completely oblivious to the annoyed look Kagome shot him.

"Fine," Kagome finally muttered. "Then Miroku and I will check out the shops and merchents. See if any of them have heard anything."

"Hey!" Shippo shouted, looking a bit put out at this. "What about me, Kagome? What should I do?"

"Hmm…I know! Why don't you take the camera and transform?" Kagome decided, retrieving the video camera from her backpack. "That way, maybe you'll see something that the rest of us might miss!"

His annoyance forgotten as he accepted the camera, Shippo grinned, "Right! You can count on me!" With that, the little fox-demon exploded into a puff of smoke before floating away as a large, pink blob.

Watching as Shippo disappeared into the air, Sango looked about at the others. "Alright, then. We'll meet up back at the entrance to the town around sunset," she decided, to which the rest of them nodded. "I just hope we're able to find something."

"As do we all, Sango," Miroku stated. "Good luck, everyone!" Without further ado, the assigned teams broke up and started searching the city.

As they walked along the town, Michiru felt all the more comfortable, for all of this was highly familiar to him. In fact, a notion occurred to him. "Hey, Kaname, I have an idea!" he began enthusiastically. "Why don't we go see the village headman?"

"The headman?" Kaname asked, surprised by this suggestion. "Are you sure about that? I mean, I know you said he was a nice guy, but are you sure he'll talk to us? After all, he must be a busy person."

"Positive," Michiru assured her. "He's an easygoing kind of guy, and besides, we were on pretty good terms with each other the last time we met." After that, Kaname was easily persuaded, and the two of them went off in the direction of the headman's home. It was easy enough to enter the grounds, and soon they saw why; the headman was currently addressing the whole of Kasasagi Town's resident militia.

"What's going on?" Kaname wondered as the headman stared at his troops sorrowfully, his narrow eyes lined with sadness.

"I don't know," Michiru answered, getting worried. "Maybe we should find out." That said, the two of them approached the headman's home, and soon as they were fairly close, Michiru called out to him. The headman looked once, a cross expression on his face, then looked twice, his expression changing from irritation to surprise, and finally delight.

"Oh! My young friend! How good it is to see you again!" he greeted warmly, gladly shaking Michiru's hand as he and Kaname went up to him. "And who might this young lady be?"

"Hello, sir," Kaname greeted him with a polite bow. "My name's Kaname. I'm Michiru's sister."

"His sister, huh?" the headman said, looking over the two of them. "Well, I can certainly see the family resemblance! But what brings you here?"

"Well, you see, Kaname decided to join my friends and I on our journeys," Michiru explained quickly. "You see, she's training to…further her understanding of the ways of our family." Pausing to reexamine this statement, he nodded, satisfied that it was more-or-less true for for all intents and purposes.

"Well, whyever you're here, your timing couldn't be better, my friends!" the headman stated, his tone becoming serious. "You see, once again I've been having some problems. It seems that a group of demons have taken to terrorizing the people here. I'm at my wits' end, trying to find a way to deal with them!"

"Huh? More demons?" Michiru asked in concern.

"Unfortunately. And things had been so peaceful lately," the headman spoke mournfully. "We've already lost several people to these demons, and I was just organizing the militia to go after them." A few moments passed, and a hopeful glint appeared in his eyes. "However…"

Smiling as he intuited what the headman wanted, Michiru replied, "If you want, my friends and I will be glad to take care of these demons for you!"

"Really? You would!" the headman beamed, almost collapsing in delight. "Thank you so much!"

Frowning in concern, Kaname looked at her brother. "Michiru, are you sure about this?" she whispered, looking a bit concerned at this point. "Shouldn't we talk to the others before deciding something this?" Kaname whispered,

"It's no problem! I know they'd want to help, once we explain the situation to them! They'd never abandon somebody in need." Michiru knew this all too well, for as he spoke, he recalled the last time he'd tried running a solo mission, testing himself against some demons while searching out Utsugi. In almost no time flat, he had gotten in over his head against a demon that had once been part of Naraku, and certainly would have met his end had the others not searched him out and saved him.

"Well…okay," Kaname finally agreed, then turned to face the headman. "So where are these demons, anyway?"

"They've been encountered just south of the village, in the forest," the headman told them. "Please, do everything you can to rid us of those monsters, and when you're done, return here and I'll have a reward for you!"

"Thank you, headman," Michiru smiled gratefully. "Well, we'd better get to the meeting spot so we can tell the others." With that, the two of them bowed to the headman and started searching out the others.

"Are you sure about this, bro?" Kaname wondered.

Smiling, Michiru replied, "Of course! I know they'll want to help, and when we all work as a team, there isn't a demon that can stop us!"

"That's not what I meant," Kaname explained, earning her brother's full attention. "I mean, people are suffering because of these demons, and, well…I just don't like the idea of profiting by it, that's all."

"I understand. Believe me, when I first came here, I didn't want to take any money for what we'd done, either," Michiru responded. "Unfortunately, we still need money in order to pay for things in this world, and taking on jobs like this one was how we earned money for traveling back then as well. Besides, that money comes from good intentions, and we aren't taking it because we're greedy, but because we need it. After all, the police get paid for taking down crooks in our world, right? Well, people like us get paid for taking care of evil demons."

"I guess so," Kaname muttered uncertainly. "I guess I still have a lot to get used to."

"Don't worry, you will," Michiru assured her. With that, the Kururugi twins headed back to the entrance to the village, where they waited for the rest of the group to arrive. When they did, they were disappointed but not surprised to learn that none of them had learned of anything of real value to them. Once they were done listening, the twins explained to them about the job the headman asked them to do. Their reactions were pretty much what Michiru expected.

"You mean we're helping again?" InuYasha barked, immediately annoyed by this. "Have you already forgotten about Naraku? We don't have time to waste on this!"

"Oh, come on, InuYasha!" Kagome countered, smiling soothingly as she spoke. "Nobody's forgotten anything, but we weren't able to get any leads, so we might as well help these people, right?"

"Besides, despite Lord Wyvern's generosity, it remains true that we still need traveling money, something that we've been running low on as of late," Miroku pointed out.

"That's right," Sango agreed. "Anyway, Kaname could use a little more practice, and this seems as good as chance as any."

It took some doing, but evetually, they managed to wear InuYasha down. In a way, Michiru found himself wanting to laugh at the half-demon's obstinance, for he knew the dog-demon really did care about the people there. However, his history with Naraku was as ugly as those of Miroku and Sango, and InuYasha had been hardened by the years of loneliness he had been forced to endure, hated by humans and demons alike.

At last, InuYasha looked away from the others, his arms folded across his chest. "Alright, alright! Fine! Whatever!" InuYasha growled irritably, masking his feelings with an image of fierceness. "Might as well do something. This trip has been pretty boring so far!"

"Thanks, InuYasha," Michiru told him. Trying very hard not to worsen his mood by laughing at him.

* * *

"Hey, Michiru, I've been meaning to ask you something," InuYasha started as they proceeded south, the compass guiding them towards the strongest demon power aside from the half-demon's own. "Why the heck did you decide to use those wooden sticks instead of finding yourself some real swords?"

"Come on, InuYasha! I wouldn't know where to buy a real sword back home, and even if I did, I doubt I could have paid for even one, let alone two. And even if I had, I don't think a mortal weapon would do too well against a powerful demon." Michiru protested. "Anyway, it wasn't the material that mattered, but the magic that I put into these swords. That's what enables them to channel the power of our Shikigami, and in the hands of me or my sister, they're way stronger than a regular sword."

"Still, it might be a good idea to get you two some better weapons," Sango stated, looking a bit concerned.

"Maybe later, once we've established beyond a shadow of a doubt that we won't slice ourselves up by accident!" Kaname joked, and with that, the seven of them relaxed a bit more. "Besides, don't knock these things until you see what we can do with them!"

"Looks you'll have the chance to show us, and a lot sooner than you think!" Kagome declared, and at that, Michiru angled his head to get a better look at her. Before their eyes, the compass was acting up, reacting to a demonic power. Kagome had gotten much better at using the compass, and now could tell how far away the demons they were looking for were. "We're getting awfully close to those demons. It feels like a dozen or so, and they're all pretty strong."

"Good! I'm tired of beating up on a bunch of weaklings!" InuYasha stated, smiling as he took the hilt of the Tetsusaiga in his hand. "Maybe this trip won't be as boring as I thought!" Though Michiru was smiling at InuYasha's enthusiasm, he and the others were proceeding more cautiously. Strong demons were not something to be trifled with, something Michiru had learned the hard way.

In a short amount of time, the group reached the place where the demons had made their home, a section of forest as cold, dark, and dismal as a person could imagine. "So that's where the demons are, huh?" Kaname asked, looking nervous again as she stared in the shadows.

"Yeah, according to the compass," Kagome confirmed.

"Seeing as that compass hasn't been wrong yet, we'd better stay close together, then," Sango decided, shifting her Hiraikotsu and letting Kirara down to the ground, where the two-tail promptly transformed into her fighting form.

"Hold on. I'd better check things out first," Michiru told her as he took out one of his cards, invoking the power of his Wind Shikigami. The card then changed into a bird, and flew off into the darkness as Michiru looked through the eyes of the scout created by his familiar spirit. "Kagome was right; it looks like twelve demons, maybe one or two more. Most of them look to be human-sized, but…wait a minute, there's another one, twice as big as the others. It has one eye and huge horns, and it's carrying this monster club!"

"Well, it looks like somebody has a new trick!" InuYasha noted, grinning as Michiru reported his observations. "See anything else?"

Frowning, Michiru continued to report. "Yeah…bones. Several animals, but most of them appear to be human bones." At this point, Kaname and Miroku began to look even more unsettled, while Kagome, Sango, and Shippo started looking ill. "The big demon and a couple others…they're crunching several of the bones. It doesn't look like they know we're here." With that, Michiru recalled his spy, which swiftly returned and transformed back into a card.

"In that case, it's time to bury those demons, along with the other bones," InuYasha growled, looking ready to just leap into the forest, swinging his sword at anything that moved.

"Um, excuse me, but don't we need a plan?" Kaname asked quizzically. "You know, a plan, as in something other than just going in, blasting anything that moves?"

"What's wrong with that?" InuYasha questioned, raising an eyebrow.

While Kaname was staring at InuYasha blankly, Miroku smiled. "You know, it would be nice to have a plan in mind, at least once in a while."

"No arguments here," Michiru agreed. "I got tired of us having to make this stuff up as we went the last time I was here!"

"Give me a break!" InuYasha grumbled. "Why all this fuss about having a plan when we could have already been done with those demons by now?"

"Come on, InuYasha! Let's try using some kind of strategy for once!" Kagome persisted. "Besides, we might save ourselves some trouble in the long run."

"Feh! Fine, whatever!" InuYasha groused, his face saying that he felt like this was a huge waste of time. "Just make it quick!"

"Okay," Michiru started, fumbling as he tried to think of a decent strategy, and then finally recalling a tactic that often got him some sweet results when playing video games. "Well, maybe if InuYasha were to rush past those demons, attacking as he went, he could get their attention so that they were all focused on him. Then the rest of us could come up from behind and take those creeps by surprise."

"If we do that, the rest of us had better split into two teams," Sango stated. "If we don't, we're as liable to hit each other as the enemy!"

"Sounds good to me," Kagome agreed. "So how do we do this?"

"Uh…Kagome, do you want me to work the camera again?" Shippo asked nervously. "I mean, you said Wyvern really pays a lot for scenes of battle, and…!"

Nodding at the fox-demon, Kagome smiled, "Sure thing, Shippo! Good thinking!"

"Gee, what a surprise…" InuYasha growled impatiently. "Come on! Let's get going already!"

"Now, InuYasha, be patient," Miroku spoke. "Now, how about I…"

Noticing the way Miroku was turning towards her, Sango quickly looked away. "Why don't you come with me, Michiru?" she asked, a hint of shyness in her voice. "We can take Kirara, and come at the demons from above."

"Huh?" Michiru responded, his cheeks already burning. "Y-you sure about that, Sango?"

"Of course. Kirara doesn't mind. Right, Kirara?" The two-tailed cat gave a gentle roar, and even managed something approaching a smile as she looked at Michiru. "See?" Sango smiled as she got on Kirara's back. Once secure and with a good grip on Kirara's fur, she extended her free her hand. "Come on, let's do it, Michiru!"

While Michiru was smiling, taking Sango's hand in his own, Miroku was sighing unhappily before looking at Kagome. "How about I come with you and Kaname?"

"Uh, sure," Kagome replied, looking somewhat unhappily at Michiru as he sat himself behind Sango.

"Fine! Now that that's settled, I'll go on ahead! Just be sure to show up before I wipe out all of those demons on my own!" InuYasha boasted, dashing into the forest, followed closely by Miroku and the two girls.

"Well, we'd better get going if we want to keep up," Sango noted wryly as the others went on ahead. "Kirara! Let's go!"

Growling fiercely, the two-tailed cat rose lifted upwards, flying just above the ground. Michiru quickly noted that while they kept a certain amount of distance from the other group, they remained close enough to keep them in view, just in case they ran into trouble._I guess I shouldn't expect anything less of Sango,_ Michiru decided. _She's been in a lot of battles, more than most of us. And as sensible as she is, it's just the kind of…the kind of…_

Michiru's chain of through quickly deteriorated as he became aware of just how close he was to Sango, how very, _very_ close he was. As they flew onwards, the lovely scent of Sango's hair teased at his nose, making Michiru's heart do moves that Olympic gymnasts could never dream of performing. He had his hands about her waist, just to make sure he didn't fall off of Kirara, but he could still feel her warmth through her Demon Slayer's garment. He could sense her supple flesh and firm musculature, with only a bit of flimsy fabris keeping him from actually touching her. And the way he was positioned behind her, with so much temptation right at his fingertips…

_Oh, good grief!_ Michiru thought, suffering the urge to smack himself in the face. _No wonder Sango's become such a target for Miroku! She's just too tempting for _anybody's _good!_

Fortunately for Michiru, they soon reached the area where the demons had been lounging about, enabling him to forget about his overactive hormones. This was especially true because the demons were doing anything but lounging. Some of them had already been slain, sundered by the power of InuYasha's Wind Scar. But twice as many were still alive, and to make matters worse, the giant Michiru had spied was still going strong, and it was all the half-demon could do to keep out of harm's way.

"Time to even the odds!" Sango declared as they closed in. "Hiraikotsu!" As the warrior woman let fly with the massive boomerang, its cutting edge sliced through two of the demons like there was nothing to it.

Finding himself grinning at the result of Sango's attack, Michiru moved to follow up with one of his own. "Onslaught of Flame!" he shouted, empowering his sword with the force of his Fire Shikigami. When he swung with it, the blade released several huge bolts of fire in a wave of destruction that quickly cut down three other demons.

Meanwhile, while Miroku was casting his sacred sutras at some of the demons, Kagome brought forth a magical scroll Wyvern had given her. "Sacred Lightning!" Kagome shouted, her spiritual power infusing the scroll, the sutras inscribed upon glowing brightly before spitting forth bolts of sacred power that incinerated two more demons.

Kaname then dealt the final blow to two other demons. "Blue Sky Blades!" she invoked, her sword energized by the power of her Wind Shikigami, releasing blades of air that ripped through the opposition.

The sudden demise of more than half their forces was enough to get the attention of the remaining demons, but they were now in even worse trouble, for they were confused, uncertain of what to do, now that they were effectively surrounded. Uncertain of whom to attack first, several demons swung their heads left and right, looking from target to target, which in turn made them targets themselves. Another round of attacks from everybody whittled down their numbers even further, until it was down to just the big demon, who was wildly swinging his club, snarling at the opposition that had taken down his troops.

"Filthy little humans!" the demon snarled, its one eye filled with hate. "You dare oppose me?"

"Gee, what do you think?" InuYasha grinned, giving the demon a shot of the Wind Scar. However, the massive monstrosity wasn't going down easy, and the horrendous case of morning breath it shot out at InuYasha defused the blast from the Wind Scar before it reached him.

"Ugh!" InuYasha howled, waving away the residual stink from the breath-blast as he dodged another swing from the club. However, now the demon's full attention was on InuYasha, and it was Michiru and Sango's turn to attack.

"Hey, Michiru! Care to give that thing a taste of our combo attack?" Sango asked rhetorically.

"Actually, I've got an idea I've wanted to try for some time, Sango!" Michiru grinned, taking out five Shikigami cards and empowering them. "Throw the Hiraikotsu and I'll take it from there!"

"With pleasure!" Sango answered, giving the boomerang another throw, one that Michiru followed by throwing the cards after it. In mid-air, the cards formed a pentagram around the Hiraikotsu, and soon the whole thing was ablaze with blue light that exploded into savage flames, giving the Hiraikotsu the appearance of a legendary phoenix.

"Firebird Attack!" Michiru called out as the Firebird shot straight at the demon, who barely parried the thing with his club. However, the Firebird Attack had successfully melted straight through the monster club, reducing it to puddle of steaming goo that oozed out of the demon's hand. That was just the beginning; with a grunt of effort, the Shikigami User forced the Firebird to turn about about for another attack. But once again, the demon sucked in a double lungful, and sent a wave of putrid wind at the Firebird. The attack stalled in mid-air, the demon breath extinguishing the flames and destroying the cards that Michiru had been using to form the Firebird and guide the Hiraikotsu. The attack busted, the Hiraikotsu fell away to land on the ground.

"Aw, man!" Michiru groaned unhappily. Not only had the attack failed, but now they would have to land in order to retrieve the Hiraikotsu. "I'm sorry, Sango! I thought we had that creep!"

"At least we disarmed that thing! Good work!" Sango smiled, and instantly, Michiru felt a bit better.

Meanwhile, the girls on the ground were taking advantage of the situation. "Reveal your hidden forces, Shikigami!" Kaname invoked, summoning forth the full power of her spirit familiars and channeling them into her Light Shikigami. "Unleash your power!"

As the massive dragon of light rose up into the air, Kagome took aim with one of her Sacred Arrows. "Here goes nothing!" the modern priestess gritted as she made her shot. "Hit it!" As the dragon lashed out at the demon, Kagome's arrow pierced the pentagram on the dragon's brow, focusing the full power of the attack on one point as it shot straight at their target. The aim wasn't the best, especially once the demon started blasting with his breath once again, but this time the attack was too concentrated and the demon was getting winded at this point. While the hit wasn't fatal, the attack was successful in blasting off one of the creature's arms.

"Arrgh!" the demon roared in agony as he staggered backwards. Too blinded by pain and hatred to notice InuYasha leaping at him from the side.

"It's all over! Wind Scar!" InuYasha roared, releasing the destructive power of the Tetsusaiga. The one-eyed giant, too distracted by his pain and too drained to defend himself, could do nothing but watch and screech in horror as the Wind Scar struck him dead-on, disintegrating his body in seconds.

Satisfied that the battle was over, Sango guided Kirara down towards the Hiraikotsu lay. "Well, that went pretty smoothly," she decided as she retrived her mighty weapon. "It's been a while since we've actually used some kind of plan in battle. It's actually kind of refreshing."

"Yeah, whatever!" InuYasha sneered, pinching his nose as fumes rose up from the decimated demon. "Dammit! That bastard's breath was terrible!"

"You're right," Kaname gagged, for the scent of the demon's breath was lingering after the battle. "Maybe we should get out of here, get that reward the headman promised us."

"No arguments here," Kagome grimaced, waving away the residual stench, and with that they left as quickly as they could, their noses wanting no further part in this mess.

* * *

Author's Notes: Another chapter done, another demon bites the dust! Please, read and review! And check out my other stories, if you like!

Fire Inu Princess, thank you for the kind words.


	12. Looking to the North

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Chapter 12: Looking to the North

Some time later, InuYasha and the others had returned to Kasasagi Town. As they made their way through the village, Kaname came to a stop, a strange expression on her face. "Ouch!" she finally yelped before slapping herself in the face. Then, as she brought her hand away from her cheek, she looked at it and stared.

"Kaname? What is it?" Kagome wondered as she turned to look at the befuddled Shikigami User.

"Oh, what delicious blood," came an elderly voice that seemed to be emminating from Kaname's hand. "This must be heaven…"

"I know that voice," InuYasha grumbled irritably before turning towards Kaname.

"Um, what is this?" Kaname stammered, more confused than anything else by the tiny burden in her hand. As the rest of them got closer so they could see what was in Kaname's hand, they were already mostly certain as to the identity of the owner of the voice.

"Well, well," InuYasha muttered crossly as he looked at the tiny flea-demon Kaname held. "If it isn't Myoga. Just when did you show up?"

Leaping up at the sound of InuYasha's voice, Myoga again landed on Kaname's hand, and turned towards the son of his former lord. "Greetings, Master InuYasha. It's been some time."

"Huh?" Kaname gaped uncertainly. "InuYasha…do you know this tiny person?"

"Sometimes, I wish I didn't," InuYasha snorted.

"Master InuYasha! How can you say such a thing?" Myoga sputtered unhappily, leaping up and down on Kaname's hand.

"This is Myoga. He's a flea-demon, and he's sort of like InuYasha's retainer," Kagome explained.

"Oh, I see," Kaname replied before returning her attention to Myoga. "I never dreamed that there could be demons this small…"

"Demons come in all sizes, sis," Michiru commented as he got closer. "Hello, Myoga!"

Starting at the Shikigami User's voice, Myoga jumped and looked turned to look at him "Oh, my word! Michiru Kururugi, is that really you? How in heaven's name did you ever manage to return?"

"That's a long story," Michiru stated smilingly. "Listen, we're heading towards the headman's house. Maybe later we can get caught up."

"That's sounds reasonable," Myoga agreed. "By the way, did you just call this girl your sister?"

"Right. Kaname's my twin sister," Michiru responded easily. "As I said, it's a long story."

"So I gather," Myoga gasped. "I'm looking forward to hearing it."

* * *

It wasn't long after that the group was at the headman's house, reporting on what had happened during the battle. The headman was gratified to hear the good news, and was glad to give them the money for their efforts. The only sour note to the ordeal were the numerous human skeletons that the group reported, something the headman had anticipated, but was still saddened by.

"Still, there was nothing you could have done," the headman told them, "and we are ever so grateful that you killed those demons before they caused any further deaths! Please, stay here at my home tonight, and recover from your battle!"

"Well…" Michiru thought, uncertain what to say. True, it was getting late in the day, and traveling at night was by and large a bad idea. However…

"Thank you. We'd deeply appreaciate it," Miroku smiled, taking the headman's hand in his own before anybody could say anything in protest.

"Excellent! Then it's settled!" the headman grinned.

They settled down for an early dinner, during which they told Myoga of everything that had been happening as of late. "That's quite an amazing story," Myoga noted thoughtfully as he sipped his tea. "Aid from a lord from Lady Kagome's world, Michiru's return…it would seem that quite a bit has happened in my absence. By the way, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Kaname."

"Thank you, Grandpa Myoga," Kaname smiled, looking quite relaxed in this peaceful setting.

"In any case, Master InuYasha, I've come bringing news," Myoga told them. "I've recently learned of a strong, ominous demon power coming from the mountains in the north. Though I wasn't able to get many details, sickness and death have become commonplace in several human villages in the area, and demons have been incited into all sorts of violent behavior beyond their normal aggressiveness."

"So you think maybe Naraku is behind it?" InuYasha questioned, looking interested in what the old flea had to say at last.

"At the very least, it is a possibility," Myoga told them. "After all, there aren't many demons who can give forth such an ominous power. It certainly seems worth investigating."

"Agreed. In any case, we haven't found any other leads, so we might as well," Miroku decided, this idea being readily agreed on by the rest of them.

"However, if I may be so bold, I suggest we make a stop at Kaede's village," Myoga told them. "It might be best to send most of Michiru's pendants back to the other world."

"Huh? Why?" Michiru gaped, surprised at this notion.

"The pendants are a remarkable achievement, there can be no argument against that," Myoga admitted. "However, your design does have a flaw, for while the pendants enable you and your sister to traverse between the two worlds, they could grant that power to others, including those who should not be allowed such power."

"Oh, no…!" Michiru gaped in horror. "I was in such a hurry to make them, I never warded them against use by demons!"

"Indeed, and if they were to fall into the wrong hands, the results could be disastrous," Myoga intoned sagely.

As for Michiru, he just felt like kicking himself straight to the moon. "Oh, how many mistakes can a person make in one lifetime?" he groaned despondently. All he could do at that point was picture hordes of demons, all wearing pendants as Naraku sent them to invade his home beyond the Well, and feel like the most thoroughly complete idiot the world had ever seen.

"Hey, it's no big deal! We still have all of the pendants, right?" InuYasha growled. "So all we have to do is send most of them back, and put wards on the two for Michiru and Kaname!"

"Maybe Kaede will have something that would work," Kagome suggested hopefully.

"I sure hope so," Michiru said, still feeling like a colossal fool for such a blatant oversight.

"Also, there is one other matter that I believe we should discuss." Miroku intoned sagely. As all eyes were drawn to him, the monk looked at the Kururugi twins. "You see, something's been bothering for some time now. Since Naraku announced his return to the living world."

"What do you mean?" Sango frowned, scrutinizing the monk.

"I think it's safe to say that Naraku was intent on claiming the Sacred Jewel Shards we had gathered when he sent Kanna to ambush us at the village," Miroku spoke thoughtfully. "But when we discovered her…why did he suddenly reveal himself like that? Why did he show himself, and then have Kagura attack the village in order to cover his retreat?"

"Because he's a total bastard who gets off on making people suffer all for his enjoyment?" InuYasha grumbled impatiently. "C'mon, Miroku! Naraku's pure evil! Since when does he _need _a reason to be that way?"

"Naraku _is _evil, InuYasha. But he never does anything without a clear objective," Miroku commented.

Nodding slightly, Shippo looked about at the others and said, "I think Miroku's got a point! I mean, why would Naraku show himself like that? It doesn't make any sense!"

"Maybe he was after Kohaku," Michiru gently suggested. Wincing at the pain this sparked in Sango's eyes. "I mean…he's used him against us before. So…"

"That's likely part of the reason, yes," Miroku conceded. "But I doubt that was his entire objective."

"Then what? What could he possibly been after?" Kagome asked, holding up her hands in confusion.

Frowning intently, Miroku scanned his companions. "I suspect that Naraku's primary objective wasn't the Sacred Jewel Shards at all. Instead, I think he was after something else entirely. Something that only we could get him." Then he narrowed his eyes at the Kururugi twins. "I think he wanted you, Michiru."

Of all the things, Michiru could have expected Miroku to say, this had not even come close to being one of them. "Huh?" he sputtered, pointing at himself. "You think…he wanted _me?"_

"Yes. Or rather, he wants the power of your Shikigami," Miroku explained in his usual sage manner. "Remember, when we confronted Naraku when he was wielding Utsugi's powers, he very nearly defeated us. If Utsugi hadn't destroyed Naraku's barrier stone, we never would have survived that battle. And even then, it took everything we had in order to defeat him." Then the monk focused on Michiru, his manner gravely serious. "However, with Utsugi dead, there's only one Shikigami User who wields the same kind of power he had that Naraku knows of. Namely, you, Michiru."

Frowning in consideration, Kagome decided, "Well, okay, that part makes sense. And I can see how Naraku would want to get his hands on Michiru's Shikigami…"

"Right," Sango concurred. "And Kohaku…he knew about Kaname, and that she has those same powers. So that means that Naraku…he knows of them as well!"

Discomforted by the idea that the Kururugi twins might very well be targets for Naraku, InuYasha looked over at them before countering, "But that doesn't make any sense! How the hell does leaving us alive get him Michiru and Kaname?"

"Because if Naraku was somehow aware of what Kohaku saw and heard while he was with us, then he had to know that Michiru was working on a way to return to this world," Miroku replied in a firm, wary tone. "Now, it could be that Naraku came after us that way and took Kohaku back because he wanted to hurt us. To make us feel vulnerable. Desperate." Again, the monk focused on the twins, his gaze discomforting for them both. "Desperate enough to do everything we could to bring back one of our more powerful allies. And to make it possible for Naraku to claim him…and his power."

A dangerous silence fell on them all as they considered this dread possibility. "So…then what do we do?" Michiru finally asked. "You're not saying that…Kaname I should just head back and forget all of this, are you?"

Snorting nastily, InuYasha growled, "Heh! That sure would be convenient, wouldn't it?"

"I'm not suggesting anything of the sort," Miroku grumbled while Kagome shot the half-demon a nasty look. "The fact is that we may need their powers more now than ever. Especially if Naraku has some plan in store for their return." Closing his eyes and taking on a look of sage wisdom, he concluded, "I just believe that it would be best if we didn't publicize the twins' presence or their powers. Also, I think we should be on the alert for any attempt Naraku might make to separate them from us. Just in case."

"Right. Good idea," Kagome agreed before giving a sour look at InuYasha. "Wouldn't you say so?"

"Grr…well…" InuYasha growled, looking away from Kagome. "I…guess it makes sense."

"Okay," Michiru decided, seeing no fault in the monk's logic. "We'll be careful then. Right, Kaname?"

"You got it, bro," Kaname replied, though it was clear that she was bit unnerved by this possibility. Something which no one could blame her for.

"Yeah, well, whatever Naraku's got planned, there's no way I'm gonna let him get away with it!" InuYasha stated firmly.

"Right," Sango nodded. Then she looked about at the others and said, "In the meantime, I suggest we all get some sleep. We've got a big day ahead of, and we're gonna need our rest."

"Okay," Michiru agreed, and with that, they went to bed. Thinking of everything that needed to be done as they drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The sun rose early the next day, and it soon saw them traveling north. Their first stop was Kaede's village, where Kagome took back the majority of the pendants, leaving only two, which Michiru and Kaname took to Kaede for her aid in shielding them from the demon hands. It took the better part of the day, but soon sacred beads, especially enchanted to keep any and all demons at bay, replaced the simple threads Michiru had used.

As for Kagome, she delivered the various samples she and the others had gathered, as well as the various recordings they had made, and had them sent to Wyvern, who had already sent more food and medicine for their use. All in all, it was a busy day for them all, capped by Kagome and the Kururugi twins studying by themselves that evening.

Later that night, as Michiru lay in his cot in Kaede's house, he found himself restless. He knew he should be sleeping, but instead found himself filled with anticipation, wondering if Naraku really was behind what was happening in the north, or if it was something else. He wondered if Miroku was right, that the malevolent demon had hoped that he would return, all so that he could claim the powers of nature within him. He also found himself once again wondering if he was strong enough, if the power he had cultivated would be enough to help his friends, or if he would just be a burden.

_I've been through this before,_ Michiru realized, thinking of the first time he had journeyed with InuYasha, Sango, and the others. _But I know I'm stronger now. I know that…so why am I'm so worried?_

Sighing, Michiru realized that he would not be sleeping easily that night. Instead, moving carefully so he didn't disturb Kaede, Kagome, or Kaname, Michiru crept outside and surveyed the village. _I fought so hard to be here again, with Sango, InuYasha, to fight with them again…I guess I'm still scared of letting my friends down._

Sighing, Michiru made his way through the village, looking at the various houses, and finally made his way up the stairs that led to the memorial for Kikyo, Kagome's previous incarnation. As he looked at the memorial, he thought of the undead priestess who had saved his life, yet another victim of Naraku's deep evil. _So many people have died because of Naraku…we have to stop him, no matter what!_

"You really should be asleep, you know," came a voice from the dark. Looking about quickly, Michiru sighted InuYasha sitting on one of the tree branchs. "You may have all those Shikigami powers, but you're still human."

"Well, you may be a demon, InuYasha, but I know you need to sleep sooner or later," Michiru countered in good humor.

InuYasha contented himself to snort in response. There was silence between the two of them before InuYasha spoke again. "I really I thought we'd killed Naraku, you know," InuYasha stated, with neither anger nor sadness in his voice. "When we hit him with that blast…your Shikigami, Kagome's arrow, and the Tetsusaiga, he just started falling apart. Then…"

"I know," Michiru replied, recalling how InuYasha how cut Naraku in half, the evil demon appearing to disintegrate right before their very eyes. "I was sure he was dead, too."

"I won't stop, Michiru," InuYasha spoke softly, so gently that it almost seemed impossible that he was the one speaking. "I'm gonna kill Naraku. I have to."

"I understand," Michiru answered, knowing all too well the pain and necessity that motivated InuYasha, as well as the others. "And I'm gonna help. We all are."

"Yeah," InuYasha responded. "Yeah, I know."

After awhile, InuYasha dropped down from his perch to land neatly on his feet. "You better get back to sleep already," he snorted as he moved past Michiru. "You're not gonna be able to help anyone if you can't stay awake when we need you."

As the true meaning behind InuYasha's words made itself known, Michiru smiled. "Right. Thanks, InuYasha. You, too."

A slight smile appeared on InuYasha's lips just before the half-demon turned to leave. But as he moved away, he said one more thing. "It's good to have you back, Michiru," he stated, something that took the Shikigami User by surprise. But then InuYasha turned to look at him with a wry expression. "You wouldn't believe how mopey Sango was after you disappeared."

Once again, it took a couple of seconds for Michiru to look past the false toughness that disguised InuYasha's words to see what he truly said. As the half-demon left, Michiru finally felt somewhat relaxed. Making his way back to Kaede's home, he looked around this world he had fought to return to, he thought of the dear friends he had made, and the woman whom he loved with all his heart.

_I will protect you,_ Michiru thought as he finally lay back down in his cot. _I don't care what Naraku might have planned for me…I'm going to protect all of you…

* * *

_

Even as Michiru fell asleep, the woman whom he loved was looking up at the night sky, her own concerns keeping sleep at bay.

As Sango sat in a small field of flowers, gently stroking Kirara's fur, she too wondered if Naraku was the cause of the problems in the north, and if so, if she would have another chance to save Kohaku. She thought of the pendants Michiru had created, and the possibilities they offered her.

_Kohaku would at last be safe,_ Sango thought, thinking of how Miroku's Wind Tunnel sealed when they had journeyed to Kagome's world. As long Naraku lacked the power to journey through the Well, as long as he was barred from that other world, then Kohaku would safe from him there, until the day came when they finally killed Naraku.

And yet, Sango was frightened by these thoughts. The very thought of sending Kohaku into that strange world, a world that was so alien, where there would be no one to care for him but people who were relative strangers, she couldn't help but think about how scared he would be. Also, if Michiru could create something that would give others the power to travel between times, did that mean that Naraku could do so as well?

At the very least, Sango thought it a possibility. Utsugi had been unable to bring Michiru to this time without Naraku's assistance; it was obvious that Naraku potentially had the ability to bend the power of the Tree of Ages to his will.

Then there was the matter of Michiru himself. Sango cared for the boy, that much she knew. What she felt for Michiru was something she had never experienced before, something she had never felt for anybody else, not even Miroku or Kohaku. Something that comforted her…and scared her as well.

_He's from another world, a world completely different from this one…_ Sango thought hopelessly, thinking of the tremendous difference between the ages. _Does InuYasha ever go through this with Kagome? Does he ever feel…out-of-place there?_ At this thought, Sango sighed sadly, for InuYasha was a half-demon. The world she lived in refused to accept his existence, so he was used to feeling out-of-place, no matter where he went.

As the night air whispered through her hair, she thought of the day that Michiru's first journey with them came to an end. When Utsugi lay there dead, with Michiru kneeling at his side, weaping at his passing. How Utsugi's spell had finally unraveled, releasing Michiru back to his own time…

_This is it, Sango! But before I go, there's something I have to tell you!_ Sango recalled, the image of Michiru slowly vanishing before her eyes appearing in her mind, his words as clear as the days he had uttered them. _Sango, I…love you…_

Sighing, Sango looked down at the demon cat that had been her family's companion for generations. "What do you think, Kirara?" she asked, drawing the two-tail's attention. "What do you think about Michiru?" Kirara mewed affectionately in return, something that made Sango smile. "You like him, too. I know. But I…" As she trailed off, she wondered what it was that she was trying to say, what she truly felt.

"What am I supposed to do?" Sango asked, looking helplessly at the stars above. She thought of Miroku, with whom she shared a relationship that was rocky even under the best of circumstances. She thought of Michiru, a boy from another world who possessed magical powers she couldn't even pretend to understand. She thought of Kohaku, her family, of friends and enemies, of entirely different worlds that she should never have been able to see, let alone journey to. "This is all…just so much."

Taking a deep breath, Sango found her gaze shifting towards the north, and she found herself focusing. _One thing at a time,_ she decided, thinking of Myoga's words. _Naraku or not, it looks like we're heading into danger. I have to be ready._

Ever since Sango had joined InuYasha and the others, she had felt the drive to keep up with them, to push herself to her limits and beyond. InuYasha, Kagome, Shippo, Miroku, Michiru, Kaname, and even Kagome's friend, Janis, each had extraordinary powers. Sango was the only one of them that was only human, that had no special magic or powers, and as such, she couldn't help but feel the fear that she would one day let the others down, that she would be a liability to them.

"Well, Kirara?" Sango asked, never once looking away from the north, from their next journey. "Do you think we're ready? Think we can handle this?" When Kirara meowed her assurance, Sango smiled warmly. "Good. I think so, too." With that, Sango set Kirara on the ground before getting to her feet. "We better get some sleep, then. Tomorrow's going to be busy."

Heading back to Kaede's village, Sango thought of all her friends, and of the road that lay ahead, of the adventures and dangers that awaited them all…

_**To be continued in 'Legacy of the Cursed Mask: The Wolf-Demon Crisis'

* * *

**_

Author's Notes: One part of the story comes to a close, while another looms ahead. Please, read and review!

I decided to break this story up into smaller stories, simply because I thought it would be more manageable that way. I just hope that all of you will be there for the next story in the 'Legacy of the Cursed Mask' saga!

Just so you know, the Janis Sango refers to is another orginal character who shows up in 'InuYasha: Secret of the Divine Jewel'. I'm toying with the idea of having her show up future stories, but nothing is decided yet.

Those of you familiar with this story will have noticed that I've gone and completely overhauled it, and even added two new chapters. For those of you wondering why I did so, there's actually a couple reasons. The first of them is the fact that, to be honest, there's quite a bit about this story I skimped on, simply because, very early on, I thought I had a flop on my hands. Reviews and readership were virtually non-existent, and I didn't put the kind of effort I should have into it.

The other reason is that, as I come closer to concluding the "The Wolf-Demon Crisis", I've got a major scene in mind. But for it to work, there's some stuff that I decided that I would have to expand on in this story. I just hope that everyone likes the results of my hard work.

For those of you like that sort of thing, I decided to include a glossary of Michiru and Kaname's current Shikigami and the spells that go with them. Just so that you all can keep track of them. An * indicates a Shikgami or spell that doesn't show up in the game, and was created expressly for this story.

Fire Shikigami: Lion

Raging Flame: A basic attack that shoots fire at one or two enemies.

"Oh, flame burning bright, turn into a sword of wrath!"

Grieving Flame: A counter-move that deals damage equal to that taken by the user.

"Oh, flame burning bright, change form at my call!"

Chaotic Flame: Mid-level attack that damages one or two targets, uses their energy to heal the user of the spell.

"Oh, flame burning bright, release your power!

Flame of Judgment: Mid-level attack that sends a wave of fire at multiple enemies.

"Oh, flame burning bright, shine your judgment upon us!"

Onslaught of Flame*: Sword-based high-level attack that sends out large fireballs at multiple enemies.

"Oh, flame burning bright, unleash the storm of your fury!"

Wind Shikigami: Bird

Sealed Blue Sky: Disables the special powers of enemy targets.

"Oh, overflowing blue sky, let ring your silent voice!"

Blue Sky Confusion: Confuses enemies so that they can't tell enemies from allies.

"Oh, overflowing blue sky, fill this space with chaos!"

Binding Blue Sky: Uses chains of wind to slow down or immobilize multiple targets.

"Oh, overflowing blue sky, bind these evil demons!"

Blue Sky Purification: Area-effect spell that cures poison and other negative status conditions.

"Oh, overflowing blue sky, fill this land with your cleaning winds!"

Blue Sky Calamity: Wind spell that destroys magical barriers.

"Oh, overflowing blue sky, clear these storm clouds from my path!"

Blue Sky Impact*: A basic attack that shoots a concentrated wave of air at one or two enemies.

"Oh, overflowing blue sky, release the gathering storm!"

Blue Sky Slumber*: Makes enemies fall asleep.

"Oh, overflowing blue sky! Sing the song of deepest sleep!" Blue Sky Slumber!

Blue Sky Blades*: Sword-based high-level attack that sends out blades of air at multiple enemies.

"Oh, overflowing blue sky, scythe away all evil!"

Executioners of the Blue Sky*: Causes critical damage to a single opponent.

"Oh, overflowing blue sky, scatter my enemy to the four winds!"

Water Shikigami: Fish

Great River Blessing: Restores 50% health to a single ally.

"Oh, mighty flowing river, give me your blessing!"

Great River Offering: Restores 75% health to all allies.

"Oh, mighty flowing river, ring with the sound of blessing!"

Great River Attrition*: Drains power from multiple enemies.

"Oh, mighty flowing river, cleanse these evil demons!"

Great River Torrent*: A basic attack that shoots water at one or two enemies.

"Oh, mighty flowing river, become the lance of justice!"

Light Shikigami: Dragon

Protective Light: Creates a protective barrier.

"Oh, brightly shining light, give me your healing power!"

Light of Judgment: High-level attack that uses up most of the user's health and power to attack multiple enemies.

"Oh, brightly shining light, hear my prayers and grant me your power!"

Miracle of Light: Healing move that uses up most of the user's health and power to fully restore health and power to allies.

"Oh, brightly shining light, hear my prayers and grant us salvation!"

Rain of Light*: Lights up dark spaces.

"Oh, brightly shining light, shine your radiance upon this place!"

Thunder Shikigami: Wolf*

Thunder Break*: A basic attack that shoots lightning at one or two enemies.

"Oh, furious howling thunder, unleash your wrath!"

Wood Shikigami: Snake*

Green Wood Shaper*: Manipulates and empowers wood and plants to create tools and weapons.

"Oh, towering green wood, spawn the implements of magic!"


End file.
